The Pain Lives On
by MitternachtWuten
Summary: Even phantoms cannot escape from the mystery of human emotion. For them, the pain is worsened, as they already have many scars. Even the shadow of the Legend must deal with his inner thoughts. Takes place after the ending of MGSV. Rated T for mild language and alcohol usage.
1. A New Wound for a New Dawn

**A/N: This takes place after the main story, it should be noted that there are MAJOR SPOILERS. Just a fair warning.**

 **Continuing on...I came up with this idea after playing "A Quiet Exit". The last three missions of the game were just heartbreaking. So I thought: "What if BB finally snapped after all that?". Then this happened. So yea, read on, my fellow viewers!**

 **As always, R &R! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 1: A New Wound for a New Dawn

A man sits on his cot. No…not a man, but a husk of what was once a man. Empty, cold, and dull. The husk slushed around the liquor within the glass before downing it and exhaling loudly from the tang of the cinnamon whiskey.

He stared on into the label of the alcohol. "Fireball". Strong in its name as it is in the contents of the bottle.

It was rare for him to drink. He would rather smoke any other day if given the choice. But in these rarities, he felt like it was the only thing that could work. Something to drown the sorrow away, to flush and watch it go. Cigarettes may calm him, but it doesn't take his mind off it.

All the recent events combined hit him like a freight train. Sure, one thing he was fine with. But the other two tore his world apart.

The quarantine…

Her…

It all hurt him like a fistful of nails being pushed into his heart.

As the man stared at the bottle and the cup in a drunken stupor, he tossed the cup onto the floor, making it crack in the corner. He grabbed the bottle by the neck and took a large swig, coughing slightly from the spice of it.

It was then that the door opened and another man entered, looking down at the mess of glass in the side of the room. He sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

The white, long haired man looked up at the other, slumping against the wall while on his cot. He spoke up in a sullen tone. "So this is the legend? This is the man himself. Big Boss."

"Shuddup cat-man!" the horned man spat at his colleague. "You kno' I'm 'ot the real un! I'm a shadow!"

"You heard the tape. You're the same as the real one. He even said you shared the name with him. You are him, and he is you."

"Whatev'r!"

Another heavy sigh from the other man. "And my name is Ocelot. Not "cat-man". Now give me the liquor, you've clearly had enough."

Venom Snake readied his rocket arm, something Ocelot wish he took away now. "Touch it, and the fist 'ill fly like a beardy!"

"Birdy."

"I kno' 'hat I said!"

Ocelot pinched his finger between his nose, trying to solve the dilemma. "Could you even aim that thing with how drunk you are?"

"Go 'way, or I'll show ya how god I am at ai-ai-amying!"

Ocelot snatched the bottle from him while he was stuttering. "Hey!", the drunken Snake cried, trying to shoot off his fist. Thankfully, in his fumbled state he didn't even know how to work it.

"Go to bed Snake.", Ocelot said as he removed the rocket arm from the weakened Boss.

Snake groaned in anger. "Gotta take 'way EVERYTHING from me! F-frist, the qurantime, where I lost my men! Then, she left too! Now ya take my arm and drunk!"

Ocelot ignored his intoxicated mini-tantrum and closed the door behind him. He could hear the man's fits of rage turn into heavy sobbing. Outside, Kazuhira and another soldier stood by. The soldier carried a tranquilizer pistol just in case things got heavy.

Miller turned to the Diamond Dog. "Thanks for coming. Your help is appreciated, but it looks like we won't need that. Dismissed."

"Yes sir.", the soldier saluted, turning and walking away.

Kaz stared at the door as he heard the loud bawls turn to silent weeps. Using his only arm, he took off his glasses, showing his blank eyes, the pupils moving from the door to Ocelot. "What the hell happened to him? He was fine before!"

Ocelot shared his psychological knowledge. "Well, for one thing, he's under the influence. And another thing, he's hiding it. He may be "fine" on the outside. But who knows what things lie underneath? Think about it. He was already dealing with vengeance before. But pile on what happened recently…it probably caused him to explode."

"I didn't hear him burst out…besides now."

"Not every emotional outbreak is loud and rambunctious Miller. Sometimes it's silent and moves subtly."

"Like a Snake.", Miller grimaced.

"Ironic isn't it?"

"What do you think is the source of all this? You can't tell me it's multiple things that had him fall off the deep end."

"I don't know. I can't pinpoint it. Maybe if I could question him more I would know. But…"

"He's the boss. Like he'll agree to questioning at all. Especially in this state."

"Took the words out of my mouth."

"I guess he really is different from the real Boss. They might have the same face…but they sure are separate under the mask. The real Boss wouldn't let this get him down.", Miller's lips tucked in disappointment.

"But this one isn't. He's a phantom. No matter how much he tries to mimic the real Boss, he is different in some way."

Miller exhaled before turning and hobbling with his prosthetic limb and cane. "You've got that right.", he muttered. "Even if he isn't the real Boss, his soldiers look up to him. If he keeps going at this rate, he'll bring everyone's morale down. No will means no work.", he muttered to Ocelot as he kept going further and further from him.

Ocelot looked down at the rocket arm and brought out Venom's standard one. He headed back in to notice he had cried himself to sleep, evident by his damp cheeks. The revolver-fanatic screwed on the basic arm and turned, leaving with his back to the Boss.

"C'mon, Snake. Let the legend come back to life. This isn't you.", he mumbled as he exited the room, leaving Venom to sleep, with his iDroid constantly playing a tape at a soft volume, just enough so it was barely heard.

"I am Quiet…the absence of words…", it rewinded and repeated.

* * *

 **For future reference (you'll see why later on):**

 _[- -]'s_ represent **scene changes (usually at the same time or slightly ahead/immediately after).**

 _[- - -]'s_ represent **changes to a much further time.**

 **Edit: Boy this site annoys me sometimes. Can't even put three dashes without spaces.**


	2. Do Heroes Dream Too?

**A/N: So here is the second chapter already. For those not aware of my process, I generally write this stuff way ahead and do multiple edits and proofreads so then chapters can be released quicker. It's honestly a great method cause it acknowledges the writer's needs along with the patience of the reader (it helps to have an understanding of the audience who wishes to see more).**

 **I hope you'll like the eventual direction I'm taking the story in.**

 **Anyways, have at it! R &R please!**

* * *

Chapter 2: Do Heroes Dream Too?

Snake awoke to the faint sound of rotor blades and the brightness of the blue sky. He winced and groaned slightly. "Head…hurts…What did I-…what?", he mumbled, his eye slowly opening. His vision became clearer and clearer with each second as it adjusted.

"Huh?", he saw a familiar figure sitting in front of him, with eyes wandering the ACC. _The_ _ACC…when did I get here?_

He began to recognize the person in front of him. Brunette hair…ponytail…green irises. His eyes widened.

"Quiet?! Quiet!", his thoughts transferred aloud to his mouth. Quiet's head jerked to him with surprise and smiled brightly.

"Boss!", she spoke in English and quickly threw herself on him, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Whoa there! How are you speaking? I thought-"

"It's fine now! Don't ask about it. It's a long story.", her accented voice chirped. "I'm just glad you're here."

"Huh? Why?"

"So I can finish my message to you. Express my feelings."

"Yea?"

"Boss…I…I…"

Then a blinding light flashed and she was gone. But she came back…nearly dead. Her throat mutilated and crawling with parasites. Pequod's blood tainted the controls and the window, his body slumped in his pilot seat. The entire chopper was filled with a red flashing light. And from the view of the windows, they were about to crash.

"Pequod! Pequod!"

A tear began to form as he saw her gargle blood and reach out to him. "Quiet! No!", he yelled out as the helicopter fell faster and faster towards the ground, until…

[- -]

Snake awoke with a jolt, panting heavily and frantically, swallowing between some breaths. He quickly scanned his surroundings only to find he was in his own room. He was home. Safe and sound.

His hands touched his face and his body, pinching himself to check if he was still dreaming. He wasn't. He let out a heavy sigh, wiping away the single tear on his cheek and beads of sweat on his forehead.

 _The dream wasn't real…just a nightmare._

He was relieved in a sense. No dead Pequod or crashing helicopter. But one aspect of it upset him the most.

 _Quiet…_

She seemed so happy. So…healthy. So alive. She looked as if she could put on a normal set of clothes and not choke to death.

That's when Snake realized just how fake the dream was. He knew the parasite therapy she went through could never be reversed, nor could the English vocal parasite…especially if it was as mutated as Code Talker said it was. And if she refused Wolbachia treatment too.

He rubbed his eyes with his natural hand. Looking down and covering his head before feeling a large surge of pain. "Oh…God…"

Snake plopped back down on his bed and rubbed his temple to ease the headache. _What the hell? Did I drink last night or something?_

Now the hungover feeling was catching up to him. Curse the ever fading adrenaline!

Venom closed his eyes, wincing at the light peeping in through his window. He then pushed up his pillow, placing it on top of his face lightly and exhaling deeply.

Now the feeling of panicked alertness was replaced with headaches and grogginess. A feeling like he could fall back asleep. Snake however, resisted the temptation as he always does. He patted around the bed, finding something and grabbing it.

He peeked out from under the pillow and activated his iDroid, his eyes moving from the map to the clock at the bottom right. It read "15:07".

"Jesus…I slept that late? What a night…", he mumbled, placing his head back atop his pillow once his eyes adjusted to the light.

He slowly began to sit up and rubbed his eyes, yawning. It was then that he heard a knock.

"Boss?", the voice spoke up.

"Yea?"

"Got something for you."

"Come on in."

The door opened to a masked, armed Diamond Dog and DD. "I was playing with this guy while waiting for the chopper. He seems to be really upset. So I brought him here. My deployment pick-up arrived anyways and I couldn't bring with him with us. Hope you don't mind."

Venom watched as DD pranced to him and jumped onto the bed, quickly going up to his master and sniffing his face and whining before licking him. "See ya Boss!", the soldier saluted and closed the door.

Venom chuckled as DD kept licking him. "Hey, hey. Hey boy, down!"

The wolfdog obeyed his master and moved to the side of Big Boss, twirling in a circle before laying down. Venom petted the dog while talking to him.

"Good, good dog. What's the matter DD? Huh boy?"

DD whined again, signaling that Venom probably already knew why.

"Good boy. Thanks DD."

DD turned and rested his head on his master's thigh, looking up at him. "Probably came to comfort me huh?", Venom continued petting his canine companion.

The man's sight moved from the dog to the window, glaring out into the ocean scenery and other base platforms. He sighed again. _What have I become? I'm bringing everyone down with me._

[- -]

"So you're absolutely sure on this, Jackal?", Ocelot asked the soldier as he was putting on his special ops beret.

"Yes sir. I'm positive. Even DD's affected. He didn't seem very ecstatic when I was playing with him. Not even when I was bringing him to the Boss. It's different from usual, but you know how animals sense things.", the masked Jackal nodded.

"Jackal, come on! We haven't got much time! Our op better not be screwed because of you!", one of the soldiers in the helicopter called.

"Can it, Mastiff! I'm the squad leader here, you do _not_ talk back to me again or I'll personally kick your ass and leave you out to the dust!", Jackal yelled back.

Jackal turned back to Ocelot. "Sorry sir. He's a troublemaker. And bit too time conscious."

Ocelot waved it off. "I know. It's fine. I only have one more question. What was Boss' state?"

"He looked really hungover sir. Exhausted too. He had small bags under his eyes. Whites of his eyes were a bit red too. I think his pupils were a bit dilated as well. Either way, he wasn't in the best shape."

"Right…thank you Jackal. And remember, make sure those Soviets don't reach the rebel hideout. If you have to, ditch the non-lethal weapons and get loud."

Jackal saluted. "Yes sir! Thank you sir!"

"Dismissed."

Jackal's position went back to normal as he turned and dashed towards the helicopter, jumping in as the other closed the door. The chopper took off and went into the distance as Ocelot watched.

Ocelot turned and started to head back to where he came from. "Dammit Boss. Get a grip.", he spoke under his breath.

[-]

 **Later…**

 **Mother Base, Seychelles Waters**

 **2300 hours**

Venom Snake observed the stars from the top of the command platform, sitting on the edge of the helipad, his legs dangling. DD was seated next to him, his head constantly moving around, looking everywhere as usual.

He put his headphones into his iDroid and listened once again.

"I am Quiet…the absence of words…"

He continued listening to the message until it finally stopped. A single teardrop flowed down his cheek, originating from his patched eye. DD whined and licked his face again. "It's alright DD."

The wolfdog knew better. He sensed the inner pain within his master, thus bumping him with his nose and whining again.

He let out a sigh. "Thanks…but I need some alone time right now…"

D-Dog's head went down as he walked away. It hurt Venom to see one of his best companions gloomy because of him. He turned from the canine and focused back on his iDroid, shutting off the hologram and grasping it firmly like it was beloved trinket.

"Quiet…I wish you were here. Then I could…", he interrupted himself to put his whispered words back to his own mind. He reopened the iDroid to see the time. 2323 hours.

"11:11, huh?", he was never one to believe in superstitions or anything else of that manner. But for now, he did. The man closed his eyes and wished for his desires, then opening his eyes to catch the time again. 2324 hours.

He silently hoped that everything would come true. It was all he could do as a man.

[- - -]

 **0300 hours**

And it seemed history would repeat. Venom took another swig of the Fireball liquor bottle.

It wasn't long before Ocelot came bursting into his room again. "Really? Pulling this crap from yesterday?"

Thankfully, Venom just started drinking it, so he wasn't drunk yet. "First, correction: last night. Second, you should really guard the liquor better. I was able to sneak by with nothing but empty magazines."

Typical. Ocelot knew he would steal it back somehow. He was relieved though that Snake wasn't drunk yet. "Boss…"

"I know, I know. After last night, I shouldn't be drinking again."

"Then why are you doing it?"

"It's addicting…cause of the chemicals in it."

"Boss! You know what I mean."

Venom rolled his eye. "Fine. It helps dull the sorrow a little."

"Better."

"Why'd you need me to say it anyways? You're the mind expert. And it's common knowledge too. You probably guessed it long before I confessed."

"Because. It doesn't help you if you don't admit to it and realize it yourself."

"…There's more to this, isn't it?"

"Smart man. I need to ask you about your…problem."

"Ocelot, I'm not gonna be one of your interrogation suspects. Especially not now. Not when what you're asking for is personal."

"So it's a touchy subject for you. I get that. But we can't help you if we don't know what's going on."

"I don't need help. And I certainly don't need any others to know."

"That's what you think. Emotions are different from physical wounds, Boss. Help is needed for that."

"Look, how about this instead? I'll trade you this liquor for a nice cigar, and you can do whatever with it. Toss it to the sea for all I care. Then you leave me alone and we never speak of this again."

"You'll get alcohol again anyways. So what does it matter to me?"

Boss put his hand on his mouth and stared up at the bobcat-named man. He sure caught him on that. And clearly, he won't leave him alone no matter what. No matter the offer. He breathed out and put his hand back on his knee.

"Fine. I'll tell you. _But_ …keep it between us and _only_ us. Last thing I need is Miller bitching in my ear about it all."

Ocelot smirked, however he was kind of defeated on the inside. Boss must've really changed since then if he's giving in this easy. It's normally a challenge to get him to open up, but when a man is nothing but a shell, he's lost a will to persist.

"Alright…so…", Boss spoke up meekly. It was hard for him to speak personally about something that didn't involve revenge against Cipher or XOF. The silence stayed for a bit before Boss finally got the guts to talk again.

"We all know about the quarantine platform thing. Killing my own men to save the rest."

"Yea. Go on."

"It hit me pretty hard. A disaster like that reminded me of what happened nine years ago. Back with MSF. And Paz."

Ocelot nodded. "It was near and dear to you and real Boss's hearts."

"Yea. What's worse about this one compared to nine years ago? It was by my own hands. Not Cipher."

Venom inhaled deeply. "Then Quiet ran away. For our sake. When I got her back, she left again. I…I just didn't know why….why she would. Then I learned about that English parasite thing after it was over. From the debriefing. Even if it made a little sense, it still… "

Ocelot noticed how his speech got a little more strained as he went on. Like he was holding back from crying. Plus, he got silent and started to change the topic, ignoring that last sentence. _Looks like I caught the origin._

"She mentioned something. On the tape she left behind. How she wanted to express her feelings…but we had no common tongue."

 _The calm before the storm._ , Ocelot recognized the trend in his speaking.

"But I…I wanted to know what. What those feelings were. All the things she wanted to say to me. I wanted to hear her speak to me. Even just for a little bit. But now she's gone.", his bionic hand clenched to a fist, slamming into the wall, making a slight dent. His eyes watered still, even after the attempt to cancel them.

"She's gone. And now I may never find her again. She might be dead for all I know."

"Boss…"

"Now I'll never learn. I'll never hear what she wanted to tell me. What she _needed_ to tell me."

Ocelot stood in silence as Venom continued.

"I never knew what it was like. To feel about someone in a way that trumps comradery. That goes beyond friendship. I didn't feel it for any woman until that point. When I first laid my eyes on her, when I saw her up close after beating her in the ruins, I just…I saw something in that woman."

"You thought she was…?"

"Stunning. But it was more than looks. When I pulled that pistol on her…I gazed and found something more. Like she needed to live. It was a flash in my mind. A sudden burst of…of…", Venom searched for the right words.

"Forgiveness? Compassion?"

"Yes! That! I knew she had wronged me in the past. At that point, I didn't remember what cause of the damn shrapnel."

"And the ambulance topple?"

"Yea. Of course, once she was gone forever, I found out she was sent to kill me at that hospital. Before the real Boss saved me by burning her alive."

"So that's why you spared her? Because you thought she was…"

"In pain? Like me at that time? Yea. I knew she was in common with me. She wanted revenge too. Against me. Against Skull Face."

"Right. But as time went on, after she came here and was imprisoned, she didn't try to break out. And so on. Then, as we let her go on missions with you…the more time you spent with her…you developed a bond with each other."

"Yea. She…saw something in me I didn't, I guess."

"If I may offer insight…"

"Go ahead."

"It's probably because you spared her. You stopped Miller and his squad from shooting her. You believed in her the most when it seemed to her that no one else did. Gave her acts of kindness the rest think she wouldn't deserve. You saw her as a part of Diamond Dogs, while the soldiers didn't."

"Yea. All that harassment and fear. Cause of Miller."

"Exactly. You treated her differently from the norm. She liked that. She liked you."

"Now that you mention it…this might be the feelings she mentioned. She…loved me."

"And?"

"I came to realize in our time together…I loved her too."

"So this is what's making you so upset? She's "the one" for you?"

"I…I think so."

Ocelot brewed in his mind for a bit, making the air of the room silent.

"So this was why you were drinking and acting strangely? Cause you miss her?"

Venom simply shrugged.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Venom ran his fingers through his hair while his eyes were trained onto the floor. "Keep this a secret. I don't know if the Diamond Dogs warmed up to her at all-"

"They did. Sorta. Most aren't as fond of her like you are, but you got some that do think highly of her. Those were the ones that went out on the field and replaced you for a bit.", Ocelot interrupted.

"Ok…but you know Miller. Once he learns about this, he'll never let it go. He always hated her because of the ties with XOF she had. With his constant vengeance-seeking attitude, he'll take the soldiers' morale down so low they'll sulk. Then you know the next stage. Miller's actions may have everyone vilify me."

"I don't think it'll be that extreme. They all swore loyalty to you. That won't change. But I agree on the Miller overreacting part."

"Keep this as classified as you can. If you recorded it, burn it or lock it down to a point that finding the tape will be like uncovering a national treasure.", Boss pointed and commanded.

"My lips are sealed. But Boss…if you do want to find her, you might have to let the info out to some people."

"If it comes to that, leave it to the special ops. They've been trained to keep their mouths shut, no matter what. Plus, they'll be better suited than most of the standard teams."

"Right. I'll keep that in mind. If you ever want to start searching for her, come to me and we'll begin. I'll upload my office location to your iDroid. Come by whenever you're ready."

"Got it. Thanks."

Ocelot did his signature sign as he walked out. As he did, Boss slowly began to wonder if he should've stayed mute.

 _Let's hope this doesn't end badly._


	3. Preparation

**A/N: Oh geez. This I think will be the longest chapter here. Provided I don't go through one route on this thing I'm trying to figure out.**

 **Here's the decision in a nutshell: I separated the part of the story that comes after this into two chapters, because no joke the next chapter clocked in at 5,100 or so words(maybe 5,200 with author notes). So I could combine them into one long super chapter.**

 **Or I could do the other option, which reduces both chapters to around 3,000 and 2,000 words respectively. Since I really don't know my audience's tolerance for word amounts, I would very much appreciate it if you guys told me what you think I should do.**

 **Other than that, here's the next chapter.**

Enjoy, and please review!

* * *

Chapter 3: Preparation

 **1 week later…**

 **Combat Platform 1, Mother Base, Seychelles Waters**

 **0700 hours**

Shots rang out as Boss fired his UN-ARC-NL at the targets, quickly moving up and reloading between intervals.

 _SIDE OP: COMPLETED. SIDE OPS LIST: UPDATED._

The iDroid quirked up as Boss stretched after shooting the final target. He needed some kind of exercise to do besides chasing DD all day. As much as he loved the dog, it did get boring sometimes.

As Venom walked to the stairs leading down, a soldier saluted in his direction. "Boss! It's great to you see out and about again!"

Snake acknowledged it with a returned notion as he continued to head down. Once on the lowest level and out on the front of the platform near the walkways back to Command, he activated the iDroid, looking at the map as he zoomed it out a little bit. Today was the day he would take up on Ocelot's offer. Originally, he would've gone immediately to see him, but Venom had to exuberate some sense of self-control.

Plus, he knew the days of drinking left him slightly out of the game. So he took the time to get back into proper shape.

"Now where-ah. There.", Snake remarked as he set a marker for the location.

Given that it wasn't too far from him, he briskly strolled to the location. Going through the open area underneath the next floor, he turned and found a door, he pushing the nearby button and entering as it slid open.

The office was pretty roomy, but considering all the radio equipment and various knick-knacks hung around, it was probably for the best. Snake spotted a movie poster hanging in the left corner. Judging from the amount of unnecessary blank space, it must've been a prized collection of the gunslinger.

" _A Fistful of Dollars_ …huh.", Snake silently noted.

Turning, he spotted Ocelot at work with the radio equipment on his desk, turning knobs here and there to change the frequency. Nothing but static was popping up, until it stopped, and unintelligible speech droned from the speakers.

"Intel, this is Shalashaska, you copy?", the cowboy inquired, pressing a switch that lit up a red LED light on the base of it.

"Read you loud and clear, sir. "

"Identification?", the man on the other line groaned as Ocelot switched on his own iDroid that rested on the table.

"5-1-4-8-2-0-3-0. Whaddya need?", the iDroid buffered and then showed the profile of the soldier. Boss's right lip curled at the sight.

 _What an odd ID system. I wasn't notified of this._

"I need PT and deployment stats on your top 5 men there. Miller wants to make another special ops regiment and I'm compiling possible candidates."

"10-4. Want me to fax the guys' files once I find them?"

"Yes, I'd appreciate it."

"Roger. That all?"

"Yes. Dismissed."

"Right. Over and out."

The radio then clicked to silence as Ocelot changed it to a different frequency. Snake simply cleared his throat, and the man opposite of him turned in the swivel chair to face him.

"Ah, Boss.", Ocelot reached over and tuned down the volume of the radio. "So, you finally wanna start lookin for her?"

"Yea. I think I waited long enough. Especially now that I'm back up to snuff.", Snake made a slight adjustment to the connector on his bionic arm.

"Right. So, how do you want to go about this? Going solo? With DD? Pick your poison.", the white haired man leaned into his chair.

"I'll take everything I can without revealing this to nearly all my men. Give me your best Spec Ops team. I'll join the effort and so will DD. That way we can finish it quick."

"So be it then. I know just who to call. Gimme a second.", Ocelot went back to the comms, turning up the volume and messing around with the controls again until he made contact.

"This is Shalashaska. Do you copy, over?"

"Loud and clear, over. "

"What's your identification?"

"This is Jackal of the 2nd Special Operations Regiment "Ocelot Unit". ID number 8-0-0-2-5-7-9-6. What's the problem, sir?", Venom made a face when he heard the name and voice. He felt like he knew this person before.

"Gather up your squad and meet me at the usual place. This is an urgent matter."

"Roger. Anything else?"

"One last thing. Keep Mastiff in line. Last thing I need is for him to act out during briefing."

"10-4. Over and out."

Another loud clack and dead silence. Ocelot shut off the radio, spinning around to face Venom and noticing he was in deep thought.

"Jackal…wait, Jackal? Plain Jackal? The fast guy? The same one that replaced me on a couple of missions?"

"You got it. The school track champion himself. Transferred him to the Ocelot Unit for his hard work. Kid's got spirit."

"And skill too. Almost as good as me. Almost.", Boss made a small cheeky grin before resetting his expression to his normal, serious one. "So where is this…usual place?"

"Follow me and I'll show you.", Ocelot stood up from the chair and moved past the horned man, opening his door with a push of the button. Venom did as Ocelot requested, tailing him into another door right across from them that lead to a staircase that went under 2 levels.

Another push of a yet another button and the heavy door opened to a semi-large, black, single floor room that was pretty well lit. In the middle of it was a giant table, decked out with maps, tools meant for marking on it, and a pair of microphones hooked up to a tape recorder. There were also some iDroids on the table as well.

"This is it. What do you think?", Ocelot opened up his arms as he walked backwards.

"You and Miller record the briefing tapes I get here, don't you?", Snake's eyes wandered the room, taking in what little detail there was.

"Sometimes.", the revolver user slowly backed down onto a chair.

"Now I'm all excited. Wonder what your squad will be like? Especially that Mastiff guy you mentioned. What's his problem?", he ran his natural index finger along the detailed maps of their operating areas.

"That's just it. He _is_ a problem."

"Harsh.", Big Boss replied. "He's that bad?"

"Yea. Harsh is just the kinda type of treatment you need to use on him. Kid doesn't learn unless you put it bluntly."

"He sounds like a real hardhead."

"He is. But it's sort of a good trait. His stubbornness saved his squad once."

"Hm. Tell me about it later. When all of this is through.", Snake took a seat as well. "How long til that squad gets here?"

"I think they'll be here right about…now.", Ocelot timed it just right, as the squad entered the room single file and lined up in front of the door, standing shoulder to shoulder and at attention.

Snake glanced over them to see 5 men of similar size and stature, and in the same uniform. An all-black colored version of the standard fatigues with red berets that had the Diamond Dogs symbol on it. However, they weren't masked. The one in the middle he recognized was Jackal, but the others he was not familiar with.

"Jackal, why don't you introduce yourself and the team?", Ocelot smiled as he turned to the Boss, who had his eyebrow up in intriguement.

"Yes sir!I'm Jackal, the squad leader. I'm the main specialist of the squad. I specialize in mid-range combat, recon, crowd control, and infiltration.", the man saluted and took a step towards them. He was white with blond hair and dark eyes, and a scraggly beard that connected with a goatee, similar to Venom.

A tanned man with short black hair, dark eyes and a shaved face stepped forward next. "I am Dark Scorpion. I'm the sniper and other recon man of the group."

Then a dark skinned man with brown eyes and no hair at all on his head came up. "I'm Crying Wallaby. I do demolitions."

A light skinned man with short brown hair, blue eyes and a five-o-clock shadow was up next. His voice got a little cocky as he spoke. "I'm Silver Mastiff. I do breacher stuff and distractions. I also like-".

Scorpion placed his hand over his mouth and sneered at Mastiff, placing a held up index finger against his mouth. As if he's saying, "Shut the hell up you twat."

Lastly, a white man with red hair and green eyes presented himself. "I am Crying Puma. I'm the support of the group. I also do the driving."

Jackal was silently shifting his eyes the entire time between his fellow teammates. He waited before speaking up. "Where's-"

He was cut off by a door opening and a stumbling woman moving next to Wallaby. "Sorry I'm late guys." The woman was light skinned, blond and had chocolate eyes. "I'm Ashen Octopus. I'm the assault, or the infiltrator. Whichever is required of me. I do close range and keep tabs on intel and comms. I'm usually sent in first with Jackal and Mastiff."

"What happened? You're never late!", Jackal whispered.

"I know! It's a personal issue! Just never mind about it!", she answered.

"I'll ask later.", the squad leader retorted, facing the two honored men in front of them.

"So this is it? The Ocelot Unit?", Snake wondered blankly. He didn't sound unimpressed, nor disappointed.

"We're sorry sir. I'll make sure it won't happen again.", Jackal piped up, his face molding to that of confusion as he waved it off.

"It's fine. As long as you all are accounted for and present, we're all good."

Jackal was stunned. It was such a contrast compared to the spec ops training regime he was used to. Miller would've bopped someone on the head with his cane for doing something wrong. If it was wrong again, he'd whack 'em in the shins hard enough to leave a light bruise. God forbid if Ocelot, the "chill" guy, ever got mad. He would force them to do what seemed like a million push-ups. It took him away from the hardcore training of spec ops and reminded him of his standard days months before. The way Boss would enforce understanding, compassion, and loyalty by nicer, mature means.

"Something the matter Jackal? Cat got your tongue?", Mastiff snickered before being slapped upside the head by Scorpion. "Ow!", he whispered.

Jackal shook the expression and thoughts away, clearing his throat. "Thank you Boss."

Boss bit his lip, noticing Scorpion and Mastiff. "Hey Scorpion. I assume your other job is babysitting Mastiff?"

"Yep.", Scorpion smiled and stifled a laugh.

"Scorp you little-ow!", Mastiff complained before being smacked by Scorpion, who was grinning ear-to-ear.

 _Someone's enjoying himself..,_ Boss chuckled inwardly.

"Right, now that courtesies are out of the way. Let's get onto briefing.", Ocelot faced Snake while the others sat in other chairs placed around the table.

"Boss…you have the floor.", Ocelot made a notion with his hand.

The horned "demon" stared at the others before beginning, silently cursing Ocelot for making him be the one to open up. Again. "Thanks.", he sighed, rolling his eyes. "We got a pressing matter on a staff member who has currently been MIA for weeks."

The squad then leaned into the table, directly facing the Boss once they knew the seriousness of the situation. "Problem is, we only know where their last location was. Or well, their last implied position. Currently, their status is unknown. We have yet to find out if they've been captured, or are currently on the run. Or worse, dead from natural causes."

The team's eyes thinned after the last statement, especially catching attention of the leader. "The person has a special place in my heart. They've been the reason why I was so…out of it. Why I've been a mess."

"Wait…you don't mean…", Jackal inquired in a light volume.

"Yea. Quiet."

It certainly shocked the squad as their eyes nearly bulged. Some even sank back in their chairs, glaring at the ceiling in disbelief. "Are you nuts?!", Mastiff made himself known as he banged on the table. "She has the parasite!"

"Mastiff…", Jackal used an apprehensive tone of voice as he slowly moved his head towards him.

"She's been gone for a reason Boss! She spoke to Pequod in _English_! The language of the parasite strain she had! That damn disease inside her probably got awakened! And you wanna bring her _back_?! What the-", the breacher rambled on.

"Mastiff! Silence it now or I will throw you off the platform to sleep with the fishes! That's an order! Let Boss explain himself before opening your big mouth!", Jackal slammed his fist onto the table and glared needles into him, intruding his rant.

Mastiff cowered, his hands up in defense. "Yes sir.", he meekly replied.

 _So that's the "problem" Ocelot told me about?,_ Boss wondered, wading in the quietness of the room before speaking up again. "Thanks Jackal."

The unit leader nodded. "As I was saying, she's gone missing. She's the source of my sorrow. Thing is…she left a tape. A tape that told me she had feelings to express to me. But with no common tongue, it was impossible. She loved me. I did too. So I want to find her."

Mastiff got a hard pinch on his thigh from the nearby Scorpion. The latter could tell he was about to blab again, and he was not gonna have it.

"If I may interject sir?", Wallaby raised a hand.

"You may."

"You're thinking this already, but with the parasite, how did she survive? _If_ she did. We know she didn't get treatment like those that were infected. Who's to say she's even alive? Or in our operating areas? How can we even find her with what little information we have?"

"You're right Wallaby. But think about this. This is the Boss. He can make the impossible possible. He's defeated giant robots practically alone that the rest of us couldn't stand a chance against for single minute. He even captured Quiet, a sniper so skilled she can kill a fighter jet pilot while it's in motion. I think we could find her. We found Dogs unlucky enough to get captured while operating. We even found intel agents that we lost for a long time. Even wandering ex-MSF soldiers. Like this is any different.", Puma faced Wallaby and the group while speaking.

"But this is not just any normal soldier Puma. This is a sniper who can disappear and run from point A to point B in nothing flat. You really think it's possible to find a super soldier?", Scorpion remarked cynically.

"I think it is.", Mastiff looked down, being silent before bringing his thoughts up nervously. "She may have powers none of us got. But she's still human guys. She'll leave prints, and make noises. She has a scent too. DD could track it. And Boss knows. Hell…she probably makes dust trails with her speed. We can spot those. And we're such a good team that Ocelot made us his own. I think we got this in the bag."

The young soldier fiddled with his fingers, his head jerking up when he heard a light clap.

"I agree Mastiff.", Octopus smiled, halting the motion. "Is there anything else, Boss?"

"Yea.", he made a nod. "We know the enemy held her, and that when she was free, they released multiple tank and armored vehicle units on us. They might be on the search for her too, with just as much if not more armor. This mission might get more dangerous than it should be. What I want to know is…are you certain you want to face those challenges?"

They said nothing for a while, until Jackal clicked his tongue. "I've been with you since I joined, Boss. I'll do anything for you til the end. I know for sure…I'm in."

Mastiff kicked his feet up and flashed a smirk. "It's not every day you get a chance to work _with_ the Boss. I'm down."

"Me too.", Octopus raised a hand.

"Count me in.", said Wallaby.

"Affirmative, Boss.", Scorpion saluted.

Puma's face slowly cracked to an excited grin. "Like I'd miss this. I'm in."

Ocelot got up and moved his head around at everyone. "Then it's settled. The mission begins. When do you wanna deploy Boss?"

"Think all of you could get locked, loaded and ready to go in an hour?"

"Aye!", the Ocelot Unit saluted.

"Then go! Ocelot, ready the choppers. It's time I healed one of my phantom pains for good."

"Right. Ocelot Unit, go!"

"Yes sir!", they saluted then quickly filed out the door as Ocelot watched them. The cowboy then turned to Venom.

"Last chance to cancel if you changed your mind."

"Please. Like I wanna drink that cinna-crap anymore.", Boss left the room to ready himself. Ocelot smiled as the door closed.

"He lives again. The legend is back."

[- - -]

 **Command Platform 2, Mother Base, Seychelles Waters**

 **0900 hours**

"Rations?"

"Check."

"Ammunition?"

"Check."

"Fultons?"

"Check."

"Vehicles?"

"Check."

"Spare guns?"

"Check."

"Spare suits?"

"Check."

"The extra crap?"

"Checkaroni."

Mastiff and Jackal, now changed into balaclavas and sneaking suits on like the rest of the unit, were taking count of the supplies while they were being loaded into one of the helicopters as it was being pushed into a cargo chopper by other staff. "Remind me why we're stocking up on all this? Boss can just ask for a resupply from iDroid."

"It saves money Mastiff. And, they only deliver enough for the Boss himself anyways."

"Kay. Makes sense."

"Wait, we got the stuff for DD, right?"

"Yep.", Mastiff flipped through the papers on the clipboard a bit before answering. "Y'know, I think all this is really unnecessary. What if we're not gone for long?"

"Hey, it helps to be prepared. You can never be too sure."

"Whatever.", the process repeated as Mastiff started his second check.

The fallen soldier strode up to the two, with Jackal making a salute. "How's everything so far?"

"Accounted for and in working order sir!", Mastiff made a thumbs up as he filed through the clipboard again.

"Remember our code of conduct for the mission?", Boss tested their memory.

"Stay non-lethal until the situation goes code red.", Jackal repeated.

"Good. We're about to move out in a bit. Once you're through here, load up into the chopper and review your iDroid. Ocelot updated the info. Capiche?"

"Yes sir!", the two said at the same time. The eyes of Jackal showed a sign of dread as he quickly turned, nearly dragging Mastiff with him. Mastiff almost nearly called out the guy until he viewed the reason why.

Boss was confounded too until he made a 180 and spotted the very man they didn't want come towards him.

"Boss!", Miller called as he hobbled closer to Boss, eventually standing a foot across from him.

"What the hell is this? You mounting a full-on effort here? What for?", he indicated at the choppers with his cane.

"A contract Miller. The demands they had required it.", Venom lied through the skin of his teeth.

"Who is it from?! I never got word of it!", he wiggled his cane at him, then smashing it down. "And I handle the contracts too!", his thumb repeatedly jammed into his chest.

"The Muhajadeen rebels, Kaz. They need support for an effort to push back the Soviets on the far-east corner of Kabul."

"Well, why wasn't I notified of it?", Miller seethed, his face coming closer to Boss's.

"Because of the way you're acting.", Ocelot intervened, stepping between the two, lightly separating the two. "I knew you would react like this."

"So?! I deserve to know! I help founded Diamond Dogs! I was one of the main forces keeping it steady here while Boss was out getting Cipher for us! Am I a friend or not, Boss?", Miller gritted his teeth as he leaned towards the man against the pressure of Ocelot's arm.

"You are, Kaz. But I know you. Ocelot's right. Your anger would get the best of you."

Miller simply made a face that mixed disappointment and anger, using his remaining arm to throw down Ocelot's arm as he exhaled loudly. Boss was right, but he wouldn't admit it."Alright. Fine. Do it then. I better get word from the rebels when you're done. If not, I'll know you lied and are up to something else. The latter better not happen, or you'll see a different side of me not known to man.", the crippled man limped off, away from the helipad and off to the Base Development platform where he came from.

Ocelot waited until Miller was completely out of view to whisper to Boss. "That was close. It seems we have another issue on top of finding Quiet."

"Yea. I hope you can forge well enough. Or convince the rebels to make something up."

"That last one will be hard. But I'll try. I'll also make sure to work in complete secrecy. That means you and the squad won't have me to guide you. You'll be on your own for a while. Think you could do it?"

"Yea. I can manage. I did it before, didn't I?"

Ocelot simply chuckled. "I'll be sure to relay that to your squad as you leave. I'll add the audio of Quiet's tape too for the briefing.", the man headed off back to the combat platform before twisting around and cupping his hands over his mouth as he yelled. "Good luck!"

The phantom gave a thumbs up in reply. "DD!", he whistled for the dog and watched as he came rushing to him in his stun sneaking suit. The dog circled around his legs before sitting in front of him and barking.

"Let's go.", he petted the dog before heading to one of the two helicopters with the dog following.

The pilot known as Pequod turned and greeted him as he sat down. "Welcome back to the ACC, Boss. It's nice to have you back."

"Same here Pequod.", DD laid down on the floor next to Venom.

The two Ocelot Unit members then moved in and sat opposite each other in front of the backseat. "And you guys are?"

"Mastiff."

"Jackal."

"That's right, didn't recognize you guys with the masks on."

"Yea, we get that a lot. Just look for the tag. It's got our codenames on it.", Jackal pointed it out by tapping the Diamond Dogs emblem, noticing the codename is bold underneath with the unit name in smaller font.

"Or try and remember our eye colors.", Mastiff made a signal to his. "Or is the big metal thing in your brain preventing that?"

"Mastiff!"

"What?"

"He's right Jackal. Can't remember things sometimes with this.", he caressed the edge of the shrapnel softly.

"…OK sir.", Jackal nodded multiple times.

"Score one for Mastiff!", he pumped his fist as the others chuckled.

"This is Pequod. Queequeg, and Maverick, do you read, over?"

"Queequeg here. Loud and clear, over."

"Maverick reads you, over."

"Everything secure?"

"Queequeg here. Got the rest of the unit here nice and ready. Over."

"Maverick here. Cargo is all green. Over."

"Copy that, Maverick and Queequeg. Beginning takeoffs now. Let's get it done, fellas. Over and out."

"Roger. Over and out."

"Amen! Over and out."

The helicopters whirred faster as they lifted up higher into the air and took off. Boss watched through the open door as Mother Base got smaller and smaller as they went farther. This was a sight he had not seen for a while. He remembered all the times he went out for missions and how the view never got tiring. Once far enough, Boss went over and closed the door, moving back to his seat and sitting down.

Now was the time to find her. Even if she couldn't come back, he had to see her again. Otherwise, it would be back to his old routine of drinking and sobbing. Which was something he never wanted.


	4. The Search Begins

**A/N: So I didn't really do a second read-through of this chapter. Do I have an excuse? You bet your sweet ass I do.**

 **Spring break ended and I literally only got 3 hours of sleep today and I was not willing to sit through the night editing what is now the longest chapter ever (yea I decided to combine them). Not only that, but considering how much I did today, it was tiring. I had a personal trainer appointment (he pushes me to my limits), and I'm trying to finish homework all the while practicing bass.**

 **I literally didn't get on my computer until like 9 pm. And most of the time I spent on writing the fic today was more or less contributing to the next chapter, which is the climax.**

 **So all I ask is to give me a little leeway on this one. I may come back in future and edit it, but as of now, this is what I got.**

 **Hope you guys still enjoy even though it's a little crap. Please review!**

* * *

Chapter 4: The Search Begins

 **Lamar Khaate Palace, Northern Kabul, Afghanistan**

 **1300 hours**

"Nap time's over boys, we've arrived at LZ!", Pequod called to them, rotating from his seat to face the people in the copter. Pequod slightly frowned when he noticed all of them were wide awake. "Huh. Jeez. Did you guys get any extra sleep at all?"

"A little. But it's hard to get some shuteye when you got blades spinning like wildfire and makin' noise.", Mastiff scoffed as he laid on the helicopter seats length wise, his head rested near the door and feet dangling off near the co-pilot seat.

"Aw shucks. Wittle baby didn't get his nappy-poo cause of the hewicoptuh.", Pequod teased with the most shit-eating grin.

"Shut up!", Mastiff groaned as he flipped the bird while Pequod was still giggling.

"Right, anyways. We're here Boss!"

The legendary soldier took the chance to open the helicopter door, watching as the multiple dunes kicked up dust from the wind the choppers created. Turning, he saw the large cargo chopper drop off the truck with half of it's bed being filled with supplies, and the other half reserved for seating.

"Boss, this is Maverick! Just tell me whenever you guys are running out. Mark it with your iDroid and I'll drop it for no cost!", the pilot of the cargo chopper chipped in via Boss's headset radio.

Boss pushed a button on the outside of the ear piece. "Roger, Maverick. Be careful."

"10-4. Maverick here, departing. Over and out.", the large helicopter lifted off and headed in the opposite direction as the two smaller ones containing the staff were lowering at the landing point.

Once they were at a low enough altitude, Boss and the rest in the helicopter jumped off after grabbing their weapons. He could see from the peripheral vision that the others has just got done offloading. The two then rose up again and turned around. "Be careful down there, Boss! Good luck!", Pequod radioed in as the choppers got farther and farther.

"Squad, huddle around!", Jackal called out as they were coming towards the three men and dog.

"Here. What's up?", Puma stepped up first to Jackal, his vision shifting from the Boss to him.

Jackal signaled at Boss to begin, but he simply rose a brow in reply. The horned soldier then cleared his throat loudly and kept his focus on the group. "Right. So here's the plan so far. We're gonna retrace the steps of where me and Quiet were. Once we reach the last known position, we'll try to predict where she went next. Shouldn't be too hard to detect if it's right with DD here."

"Boss, did you grab anything that could have her scent?", Wallaby checked as her nervously brought it up.

"Course I did. I ripped a piece off the mattress in her cell.", he reached into his sneaking suit's back pocket and pulled out the white fabric before putting it back. "Any more questions before I continue?"

The team all shook their heads. "Good. Now, who's the best recon here?"

"Jackal and Scorpion. They work the best together. Alone…not so much.", Octopus grinned through her mask as she elbowed Jackal.

"Right. Thank you…", he read the codename under the patch. "…Octopus. You two are on me. The rest of you, stand perimeter and watch for any movement. Except you…um….", Boss's eyes went up to his head as he racked his brain for the man's name.

"Puma."

"Right, Puma. Except you. You take the truck and drive it somewhere not too far from here where it can be hidden and out of the enemy's way.", Boss ordered as he pointed to the truck then to the intended direction.

"Yes sir."

Boss looked at the two men he asked for before jogging towards the palace with them close by. Making a sharp turn off the road, boss crouched behind two concrete, barbed-wire structures that were near a street light and a power system. Pulling out his intel scope, the two followed his action and examined the large, broken down outpost.

"Alright, so I entered in via the road east of the palace, there I found Quiet breaking out of the outdoor prisoner holds. See them?", Boss quietly started talking to them.

"Yea. Those dark green boxes?", Scorpion marked and unmarked it as he mentioned it.

"Exactly. The farthest west hold was the one she broke out of. This Soviet strangled her in a dumpster full of water. She was clothed in the prisoner garb. Dumbass unzipped it so he could try and…you know.", Boss kept the intel scope focused on the wall where the dumpster was flush to.

"Rape her? Jesus.", Jackal whispered.

"Yea, well, he ended up giving her a way to breathe again. So she kicked all their asses. Killed them with ease. I was gonna try and free her from the rope tie, but she did it herself.", Boss smirked as he reminiscence the moment. "Moment was painful to watch though. She stabbed a guy multiple times in the balls."

The three winced at the thought of it. "God, dude! Too soon.", Scorpion started to grab his own pair.

"Anyways. So tanks came. We blew them up. Things calmed down, but not for long. Massive sand storm blew in and it suffocated Quiet again. Had to carry her out while avoiding more reinforcements. And that's all that happened here."

"Boss, quick question. Quiet jumps really high and stuff, right?", Scorpion lowered the binoculars and revolved towards Boss, who was in the middle of the group.

"Yea. Why?", Venom tucked the INT. scope away, as Jackal lowered them slightly to face Scorpion.

"I think I got someone who could really help you.", Jackal pushed his earpiece. "Hey Mastiff, come over to our location."

Boss squinted at him. "Are you sure about that? He's a fool."

"You'll see.", Scorpion sat down against the rock as they waited. Mastiff slowed his run as he reached them, squatting down.

"What's up?", Mastiff asked.

"Hey, Boss. What point did Quiet go to for sniping when those tanks attacked? Mark it.", Scorpion gestured his thumb towards Lamar.

Venom marked it with his intel scope, wondering just what Scorpion was doing. As he set the binoculars back where he kept them, he watched as Mastiff was scribbling on a small notepad. "How long does it take for her to arrive at that spot?", Mastiff inquired as he continued to write.

"A second.", now this made the legend raise a brow as heard the mumbles of the troublemaker.

"That's around…100 feet…hey how far from the wall was she when she jumped?", Mastiff broke his normal muttering to ask another question, waving his pencil in the air of Boss's direction.

"Bout 2 feet."

More unintelligible speech from the young soldier as he continued to scribble. "Got it! Hey, Boss, where was the last point you knew she was at?"

Snake's expression showed he was curious. Just what was this kid doing?

"Follow me."

[- -]

"So here was the last thing I got from Quiet I could remember her by. The tape hanging on the tree by a thread. You heard it from the briefing tape included, right?", Boss spun around to Jackal, Mastiff, and Scorpion.

"Yea. I kinda understood a little why you were down for so long.", Jackal crossed his arms and directed his gaze down.

"Well, the footprints end here. So where could she have gone?", Boss went back to view the landscape of the dunes. He then suddenly noticed that the noise of a pencil writing down got more furious. He could then hear the victorious whispers of none other than Mastiff as he kept going at it. The whispers transitioned to a normal volume before he let out a slightly loud, "Eureka!"

Scorpion's head went up, his irises moving towards Mastiff as he kept his head in a still position. "What is it?"

"I think I found Quiet's position! Where she was before she completely disappeared!"

Venom's eyes perked up at this. "What?!"

"There was a point where you could spot her from a distance by looking out over that cliff, right?", Mastiff walked over to the cliff, making hand gestures with his pencil.

"Yea. I remember seeing a random cloud of dust out there."

"Well, at that point, maybe we could begin tracking her!", Mastiff's voice changed to a tone of excitement.

"But how? Footsteps disappear in sand, dumdum.", Scorpion got up from his lazy position.

"Scents! The footsteps may be gone, but I bet the scent's still there! It's only been a couple of weeks, right? Then there still must be some trace! I think we got a lead, guys!"

Silence. Then, a clapping erupted from Boss. "Good job, Mastiff. So that's what Scorpion said you'd be useful for."

Jackal's balaclava wrinkled from his grin. "Mastiff may have behavior issues, but I'll be damned if he ain't a smart kid.", he patted Mastiff on the back.

"Right. Let's get in the truck and go. Mark the point you found with your intel scope, Mastiff."

 _MARKER PLACED._ "Way ahead of you boss."

[- -]

Puma started the truck and began driving, with Jackal and Boss stuffed in front, and the others sitting at the far end of the bed with DD in the middle as he drove towards the point Mastiff marked. Music was playing on the car radio that Puma put on.

 _"Don't sweat it, get it back to you! Overkill! Overkill! Overkill!"_

"Motorhead, dude? Really?", Mastiff called from the back.

"Driver picks the music. Passengers shut their damn mouths!", Puma shot back, as whoops went off in the crowd. Mastiff slapped away the elbows as the soldiers laughed at him.

Turning further away from the roads, Puma parked the truck. Turning to the two beside him, he did Ocelot's signature point with one of his hands, the other on the wheel. With the passenger door opening, Jackal and Boss got out, with the latter circling around the back.

"DD!", the dog barked and climbed over the railing of the trunk bed, jumping into Venom's arms as the man caught the wolfdog, placing him down on the ground. "Let's go, buddy."

Jackal caught up with him as he ran towards the objective marker, slowing down to a halt as he stopped.

 _YOU HAVE ARRIVED AT YOUR DESTINATION._ The iDroid quirked. The fallen legend pulled out the torn mattress material and put his hand out at waist level. DD eagerly tottered to it and began sniffing it profusely before sniffing the ground below him. Catching a scent, DD yapped at the two persons behind him and as he went along a trail sniffing it.

Jackal whistled and made a motion towards him, then holding up three fingers. Octopus, Wallaby, and Mastiff came hopping out and sprinting towards them while Scorpion peeked out of the truck with his sniper. Puma pulled out his Geist P3 with a laser sight and kept it in his hand, closely inspecting around him.

Wallaby took out his S1000 AIR, while Mastiff readied a Riot SMG and Octopus used a WU.S Pistol. Boss and Jackal took out their UN-ARC-NLs, with the only difference between them being paint and the under barrel. Snake had a smoke grenade launcher, whilst Jackal attached a grip.

D-Dog eventually lead them to a cliff next to Outpost 12, where he pointed his nose upward and barked with a lower volume. The squad then formed a semi-circle in front of it as Snake went in to investigate. "Really?", Snake uttered in a stunned way. "How the hell am I gonna get up there?"

Wallaby scanned the giant rock before suggesting something. "You could climb it. Sure, there's no cracks, but there's an angled corner, and lots of stuff sticking out."

"Are you nuts? What if I fall? The mission will fail, and I'll have a broken back! Then we'll have lost her!", Snake hissed back.

"Not to be disrespectful, but you don't have much of a choice. Unless you wanna go the long way around.", Wallaby kept his gun pointed in different directions.

"Guys…that enemy outpost to the right of us. I think one of em is noticing us. We might have to take 'em all out.", Mastiff elbowed Wallaby who was next to him. As they all rotated, they noticed that one of the Soviet guards did notice them.

"Damn. Forgot it was daytime. High visibility.", Jackal shook his head in shame.

"Boss, we got them. You get climbing.", Octopus promised as she tranquilized the soldier, causing the others to get alerted.

"Go, go, move!", Jackal ordered as they went towards the outpost and started to cover Boss. "Damn helmets!", he spat as they snuck up by proning in the grass.

Venom Snake sighed as he backed up and used the headstart to jump up into the corner, using his hands and feet to keep him suspended. Slowly, he began moving up one limb at a time. Left arm, right leg, right arm, left leg was the order he repeated. As he got closer and closer, his iDroid chirped.

 _GUARD OUTPOST: CAPTURED._

The soldiers then went back to their semi-circle position as before, but Jackal moved to the corner, standing below Boss so he could prevent Boss's fall from being too severe. Eventually, Boss reached the top of the cliff and pulled himself up, rolling over onto the land. He would've started panting real loud, but he heard the sounds of guards.

 _What the? How did they get up here?_

Then the Boss remembered. Long way. _Shit._

Going back over on his stomach, he got up to a crouch, turned around and took cover behind a rock, pushing his ear piece twice so he could broadcast the conversation over the squad radio as he peeked out.

"So this is the damn thing they sent us for? The so-called important thing? A fucking blanket?", the guard spoke in Russian, but the text on the iDroid translated it in real time. The man was obviously pissed judging by his flailing body language and the fact he pointed his gun towards the afghan blanket.

The other, more heavily armed guard chided the other. "Look, stuff like this isn't cheap. Takes a long time to make them. Besides, this thing is connected to that sniper."

"You mean that bitch?! The one that stupid XOF is looking for?"

"Bingo."

"I know we captured her for a reason, but we know that those men were dead cause of her! You saw the bodies! One guy has his nuts stabbed off! His fucking balls! I say, we forget this, and leave the sniper alone!"

"We can't. XOF paid us a lot of money to cooperate. You know how Comrade Chernenko is."

"Chernenko is a damn idiot! I hope Reagan succeeds in bringing down the Union!"

"Are you crazy?! That kind of talk will you get killed!"

"Who cares?! I'm pissed off! Ugh, whatever, let's take the blanket and go! Forget I ever said that!", the man finished as he faced down to the blanket, shaking his head as he began to bend down and grab it. However, Venom was on the move and got to them before he could even touch it.

"Boss, I'm able to speak for a short period of time so listen up.", Ocelot quickly chattered. "Mastiff updated me on the progress. I heard that conversation too. Get that blanket. It's the only lead we may have on Quiet!"

By the time Ocelot was finished, Boss had already successfully knocked them out with a grab, a tranq. head shot and a knockout choke. "Already did it.", he leaned down and snatched the item from the ground as the two were sucked up into a fulton wormhole.

"Wow. You're pretty good. Right, now, if you can't find another lead on her direction, fulton it and I'll take look at it. Or come back to Mother Base if you're paranoid enough. That's all I can say for now before Miller notices. Good bye, Snake!", Boss listened as he walked towards the edge of the cliff, throwing down the blanket to Jackal. He then climbed down on to the ledge before sliding down the corner of the rock, grappling its surface with his bionic hand to slow his descent.

"This is what DD picked up, huh?", Jackal held the blanket and stared at it, speaking up when he heard the thud of Boss's feet connecting with the ground.

"Yea. Good dog!", Boss smiled lightly as he petted D-Dog, the wolfdog happily taking the affections.

"So those guards were after it huh?", Jackal's eyes narrowed out of seriousness. "And Cipher's on to her as well?"

"If that's the case, we better hurry. Last thing we need is XOF getting her back.", Octopus stretched and relaxed.

"Why would they want her back though? She would be deemed a traitor.", Wallaby scratched his head.

"Maybe they're gonna kill her. They view her as an experiment gone wrong. She was supposed to kill Boss and every last one of us. But she didn't. So to prevent more rebellion and anything else that might happen should Quiet be found by anyone else, they're gonna try to pull the plug.", Mastiff kicked rocks and walked in a circle as he reasoned, for once not making a smart ass remark.

"Yea. She's proof of their horrible "tests" of the vocal parasites. If the US finds out, they're gonna end XOF as we know it.", Jackal's head slowly rose to face Big Boss. "But who knows what'll happen to us if they find out she was involved in our operations? Boss may lose her…and us. Forever."

"Then stop talking and move. We don't need to figure out reasons why Cipher is on the prowl for her. Leave that to Ocelot. If we know XOF is searching, then we need to move now. Let's go to the truck and have DD point us in her direction again.", Snake turned to Jackal as he told the last sentence to the group.

Jackal nodded and got down on one knee, holding the blanket so that it was crumpled. "DD, sniff!"

The dog dug his muzzle into the blanket, taking in the smell of it in extreme detail before backing up and barking, his head pointed north. Boss pulled up his iDroid and followed D-Dog, noting the direction. "Looks like next point is at the Yakho Supply Outpost. Or in the general direction of it.", he pointed his finger in the direction of the place. "Get Puma. We're heading out again."

[- - -]

 **Near Yahko Oboo Supply Outpost, Northern Kabul, Afghanistan**

 **1700 hours**

 _"More days to come, new places to go. I've got to leave, it's time for the show! Here I am! Rock you like a hurricane!"_ , the car played another one of Puma's songs as he hummed and tapped the wheel to the beat of it.

 _SUN WILL SET SHORTLY._

"So where to? Want me to pull over here, or over by that bridge?", Puma asked as he stopped the car and pointed around the various entry points.

"No. Keep driving. Go past the spotlights.", Boss sank into the cushion of the truck.

"Really? What about them?", Puma made a thumb signal to the ones in the back. "They might get spotted Boss. We can't speak Russian. If they stop us, we're done for.", Puma leaned his arm on the seat, his other hand gripped onto the wheel as he turned towards Snake. "And where the hell are we going anyways?"

Boss glanced behind him. "We're going to a back way. Besides, they can either play dead, or use the blanket and cover themselves. Besides, the only two people that knew the location and what it looked like were fultoned."

"Won't they still stop us?"

Boss smirked. "Not we if we keep driving. Act like we can't hear them."

Puma sighed and shook his head. "Hope you know what you're doing Boss.", he shifted it back into drive gear as he stomped on the clutch.

The sun finally sunk under the horizon, giving way to the black night sky.

"Hey! Cover yourself with that blanket and act like you got one between the eyes! We're coming up onto some hostiles!", he called as the truck started moving slowly. The people in the back scrambled for the afghan and got under it, and immediately laid as still as can be to appear dead.

The car kept going along the main path to what would be the Aabe Shifap Ruins, eventually going under the spotlight. "Hey!", the man operating the light that caught them called, but he would be ignored as the truck kept moving along. One of the soldiers in a gun pit went out to the farthest spotlight and stared upwards, shrugging and making an expression of confusion.

"The hell do you want?"

"Uh…nothing. Nevermind…it was nothing. I must be seeing things.", the spotlight man waved it off as he still looked towards the path of the car.

The guard on the ground threw his hands up, blew raspberries and headed back to where he came from. "Idiot…"

As the road curved, Venom tapped Puma. "Pull over near there.", and Puma did as ordered, stopping the car and turning it off in the middle of a flatter part that curved left amidst a series of hills.

"This is the back way?"

"Yea. Let's go, DD!", he opened the car door and waited for the dog to get out first before he did. He turned and patted the seat. "Come on Puma. Your turn. Show me what you got."

"Yes sir.", he saluted as he exited the driver's seat and shut the door at the same time as Snake. "Watch the perimeter, and stay hidden!", he called to them before moving through the area.

He followed Snake to a cliff looking out over behind the supply outpost, directly above a high point in the building structure. Puma look surprised. "So this is the "back way". Interesting. Wait, you forgot the blanket."

"DD's still got the scent. See?", he pointed to DD slightly behind him sniffing at the area. He barked again, pointing towards the empty building to the right of them that was lit up.

"Next clue. Let's see what we got.", the two crouch-walked all the way to it, peeking inside the building. Both of the men were confused.

"Where is it? I don't see anything. Just some materials, but nothing else.", Puma made note of the small white box marked with red and a flame. The horned man took the materials and extracted them. "DD! Sniff!", the soldier whispered as the dog pushed his way through the two. With his mouth, DD snatched something and gleefully brought it back to his eye-patched master, dropping it in his hand as the man held it out.

Putting it between his index and thumb, Snake's blue irises analyzed it deeply.

"A bullet? What use does that have?", Puma huffed and crossed his arms as he stood up. "Are we even going to find anything from-"

"Hush.", Boss lightly slapped Puma's face while still concentrating on the bullet. Boss walked back to a safe place over by the path they came from and stopped walking abruptly. He pivoted to Puma. "I know what this is. Look!"

He presented the casing to Puma. "See the back? It's been used. It must've dropped in that building. She shot something there. It's kinda fresh too. Only been half a week since it was fired."

Puma scrunched his brows down. "OK…and? How can you tell it's hers? What if it's a Soviet's?"

"It's not. This is a special sniper caliber used for a sniper rifle based off the Brennan. It's supposed to add an oomph to it. Make it hit harder. That's how I can tell.", it was a first that he ever saw Boss grin like a madman. Nor did he ever witness the man power walking.

"What happened that caused her to use such a caliber?", Puma was still muddled by the Boss's ecstatic ramblings.

"She was battling armor. Like choppers and other vehicles in that category.", Boss pulled open the truck door and hopped in after DD.

"Really? Damn. You think it's Cipher?", Puma got into the driver's seat and ignited the vehicle once more.

"Not them specifically. But I bet it's Soviets manning Cipher tech.", Boss said as he held the bullet casing up to DD's muzzle and let him snuffle away at it.

"Well let's mosey along then. Where to, DD?", Puma shifted its gears into reverse. The wolfdog barked in the direction of the ruins.

"We might be close. Real close. Go Puma!", Snake's eyes were lit with the same fire as when they hunted Skull Face.

[- - -]

 **Aabe Shifap Ruins, Northern Kabul, Afghanistan**

 **1750 hours**

At the sounds of an enemy chopper ahead, Puma slowed the vehicle to a halt as it entered the area. Puma's eyes at this point have never been wider. "Holy shit.", he voiced his shock at the scene before him.

"No kidding.", Boss agreed as he got out the truck and used his intel scope. "Two tanks…two armored supports, a chopper…6 walker gears?! No, wait…8 walker gears! And about 6 more infantry!"

Puma exited the vehicle as well, with DD crawling out his side door. "Guess you right when you said we were close. She might be here."

Jackal jumped off the bed of the truck and knocked on it to alert the others. "Emphasis on might. These guys are probably way behind her. But they sure mounted an effort."

"You were right on two things Boss. That gear is from Cipher. And we are close.", Puma perceived as he used his own scope. "I saw dust moving on the arch. It means she's here."

"Well let's hurry and-", the legend stopped in awe when he noticed the chopper had spotted them with the light, completely unnoticeable beforehand. Puma stumbled to the car and slammed on the gas. Boss watched as it seemed what happened was going in slow motion. Everyone ducking for cover as the chopper's speaker droned. "Enemy spotted!"

"CP, CP, this is Dmitri 7! We have encountered enemy hostiles, over!"

"Roger, Dmitri 7! Kill them now before they stop your search!"

Snake dived for the sides as the chopper's guns shot away, thankfully missing everyone. Puma crashed into the same area Boss had ducked for cover when Quiet tried to kill him again. Puma rolled out of the car and sprinted, sliding under the tree and going for the river.

"Guys, remember the code red I mentioned? Well this is it! Go, get the weapons!", he yelled out as they all sprinted for the truck, tossing their non-lethal guns and swapping it out for standard rounds.

Wallaby immediately swiped his FB rocket launcher and shot at the chopper, running for cover and reloading. While the chopper was busy with Wallaby, Snake joined the others at the crashed truck and grabbed weapons. Pulling out an LMG, he tossed it to Octopus.

"Find Puma and hand it to him!"

"Got it!", she saluted before using the new stealth camo to rush towards Puma's location. Another rocket shot out as it hit the chopper and caused it to crash right into an oncoming tank, making the following one shoot a round after maneuvering around the destruction, while the accompanying D-Walkers fire their chain guns on Boss.

The tank shot thankfully missed him as he ducked for cover next to the truck, but he still caught some of the damage from it. He winced from the pain of it, but it wasn't anything he couldn't survive. He managed to go through a helicopter crash before. And a tank shot too. But that didn't mean it wouldn't hurt like hell as normal.

To make matters worse, it seemed from men from the nearby outpost from behind were coming no thanks to the sound of the helicopter crashing nearby. _Great. Just great._

A synchronized explosion rang out, and Boss peeked to see the tank smoking. _Must've been Wallaby and Mastiff using hand grenades._

And he was right, as he spotted Mastiff ducking while Wallaby shot the rocket, causing the tank to explode. Wallaby just barely dodged a shot from the armored support vehicles, and apparently, some D-Walkers were closing in too.

"CP! CP! This is Dmitri 7! Hostiles have taken out our armor and chopper! Requesting immediate backup, over!"

"Roger that, Dmitri 7! Sending extra vehicles to you now!"

One by one, the infantry was getting picked off by Scorpion, who was hiding out in some bushes on the other side of the river. Boss took the chance of them being distracted to crawl underneath the fallen tree and hide near the rocks. Hearing the two men from the outpost come, Snake kept his AM-MRS-4 at the ready, aiming carefully as he took them out easily by headshots as he slowly came out from the sloped position.

The 2 nearby D-Walkers' chain gun made him get back down to where he was as he nearly got shot in the head. However, a sniper shot from Scorpion killed one. And as he peeked out from under the giant rock, Octopus has used her stealth camo to slit the other's throat and fultoned the two Walkers. Boss immediately rushed out from his hiding place to get a GROM-11 rocket launcher he spotted on the body of an infantry man.

"Wallaby!", he pushed his earpiece to contact him.

"Yea?"

"Sync a rocket shot with me on the APV. The one in the front!"

"Got it Boss!"

"On my mark!", Boss crouched and aimed through the scope of the weapon. "3…2…1…"

"Now!", the two rockets went flying towards the vehicle and made a direct hit, causing it to explode. The other started shooting its guns at Boss's position, which made him run to the side and duck into the grass.

More shots rang out as Scorpion took out the last infantry and another D-Walker.

"Boss! 1 Walker, 1 APV to go. Then we're all clear!", Scorpion assured the team.

"Wait! Guys!", Jackal yelled over the comms. "I'm over by the arch. In a little structure near it. Me and Puma were doing guerilla ops by it!"

"Yeah, and your point is?", Mastiff complained in a rude tone.

"Me and Puma hear more coming! There's reinforcements coming!"

"Shit, really?!", Wallaby bellowed.

"Uh…Boss? Octopus? Look behind you…I see a tank!", Mastiff was starting to sound scared.

Boss sighed. He knew he was screwed. That _they_ were screwed. There was no getting out of this one. But he had one more chance. He knew his support helicopters has the best armor and weapons possible. He worked hard to get those developments. He ordered it via his iDroid.

 _SUPPORT HELICOPTER: REQUESTED._

"Let's do this guys. We're gonna finish it, right?", Scorpion shouted in order to raise their morale. "We're Diamond Dogs Special Ops, the Ocelot Unit! We can do it! Right?"

"Right." , they all replied in unison.

"Then get it done!", Snake watched as the tank rolled by his position. He got up onto one knee and reloaded the rocket launcher with its last round.

Breathing heavily, he aimed through the scope. "Night, night, Cipher."

The rocket shot off and heavily damaged the tank, but not enough. Another moment that in Snake's eyes, happened in slow mo. The tank slowly turned to his position, its barrel staring him down right to his face. In a stupid act of courage, Boss, stood up completely and pulled two grenades and their pins, tossing them with a hard force at the tank.

"Boss!", Scorpion's voice rang out in the altered time perception. "No!"

The tank's barrel lighted up as the round went flying towards him. And then…

 _ **BOOM!**_


	5. Lost then Found

**A/N: Here's the climax of the story as promised.**

 **Also thanks to the reviewers for pointing out the dialogue thing. I put some more event descriptions here.**

 **Please enjoy and review! We're pretty close to the end, literally only two chapters. Stay tuned!**

* * *

Chapter 5: Lost then Found

 **? ? ?**

 **? ? ? ? hours**

For a while, there was nothing but darkness. Silent, eerie darkness. For a second, I thought I was dead. Then came this loud ringing noise in my ears that I thought would kill my ear drums.

Well…seems I'm still alive.

Slowly, I felt the vision come back in my eye…albeit very blurry. All I could see were what may have been two or three figures above me, looking down and blinking a flashlight.

If I could slap that thing away and tell them to screw off, I would. The reason why I couldn't? My whole body felt numb…or it did before an agonizing sting engulfed my body. I felt a wave come through my body, like I twitched, and the men reacted. As my sight cleared up a bit, so did my hearing. From that point on, I knew. These were not my men. I should've guessed by the colors of their clothes.

They said things frantically in Russian. I didn't know what though. I had no iDroid to translate them. Hell, I couldn't even grasp the damn thing at all in this state, let alone see it.

Another figure rushed in and slowly reformed from the leg up, a slight shine flashing out as the two were fighting something and the shiny object. Red splashed out on him and on the ground while one of those bastards shot their gun wildly from their waist, making my ears ring again, this time louder than before.

I let out a choked groan and shifted slightly because of this. This pain was nothing I felt before. Sure, when I took a tank shot after defending her and survived. But this one…it was a closer range. And I'm sure it was a direct hit to my body too. Quiet wasn't there take some of the force with me either. As of now, I beared it alone.

As the randomly appearing figure was gone again, the Soviets chasing after it. I would've remembered by then who it was…I would've known exactly who this magician is. But I was so weakened at this point, I couldn't even remember anything beyond the event that happened just minutes ago.

I felt like a piece of garbage. Just laying around and not getting up. It was like the hospital all over again. I struggled to awake and get up, but it only had the opposite effect I intended it to have.

Cause of my efforts, I felt my consciousness slipping again. I fought to stay aware, but it was too much for me. I fell limp again, unconscious and helpless.

I soon returned to the land of darkness. The trip this time felt like it was longer…complete with minor quakes. Judging from the battle I saw earlier…it was that figure. Fighting off…another tank or something, I think. I don't know.

But why should I care? I can't do anything. Not after what I just did. The scene played off in my head. I can't believe just how stupid I was. Some legendary soldier I am. I should've distracted them and used the wormhole on them. That would make the situation better.

But no. I'm here, in the middle of a grass patch in a set of ruins in Afghanistan. Viable to attack.

Soon enough, I felt the rumbling stop. A moment of peace and stillness. I felt something else too not much sooner…on my face. Something being dragged…and then it was pressed right on my nose as there was another feeling wrapping around the back of my head. Then…hands were touching me. The sensation of the ground left me, and I was in the air.

And in the distance…something faint…like…humming…weird, broken humming.

[- -]

Quiet went up the dirt road near the arch in the ruins, humming her usual tune, with breaks of chuffs, coughs, and erratic breathing. She did her best to aim her hacks in a different direction so not to cough all over Boss's face, even if he did have the respirator on. She continued until she found a nearby random house along the path, forcing open the door. Once inside, she placed the man in her arms on a crude mattress (left behind by the person who lived there originally) before plummeting to the ground from the exertion that came with carrying a 170 pound muscled man. Even if the pad was s bit filthy, it was a softer and comfier than the ground she found him on. Obviously, the place could be cleaned a little, but it was fine for the moment.

Quiet's limp, gloved hand immediately moved to Boss's jugular. Finding a pulse, she let out a chugged and sproadic sigh of relief. He's not dead, only knocked out. Her eyes inspected the man laying before her. She bit her lip at the sight of him.

She still couldn't believe what he did. Taking that direct tank shot like that. At such a short distance no less. He was lucky those grenades were upgraded to their highest power by developments. That last minute effort sure wrecked the vehicle. If it hadn't, he would've been dead.

In a twisted, messed up kind of way, she was grateful. She knew the reason why he was there. Why he fought them the way he did. He was trying to find her, and he wouldn't let anyone get near to her, helicopters be damned.

This type of thing was exactly why she fell in love with the legend.

Lost in her thoughts as she was slumped near him, she was taken by astoundment when she felt something grab her and pull her down into an embrace, his arms wrapping around her torso.

"Quiet…I…finally…found you.", he took in gasps of the oxygen of the mask.

Her face stuck in a flattered way, she viewed him from as far as her peripheral could take her. She noticed that the uncovered eye was closed was shedding _tears._ This was a new spectacle. The soldier who defeated her, Metal Gear, AND the Man On Fire…weeping like a mother at a funeral!

He didn't make any noise, but he still shuddered before the broken dam closed up again and his breathing eased back to normal.

"You don't know…how long I waited to see you again…Quiet."

Her face molded to a warm smile, returning his hug as best she could in this position and state, with both hands resting lightly near his neck. "You were gone for so long…and I…you don't know just how much I…", his words fell to silence as he refused to speak of that era in his life.

The woman made a hum in delight before being followed by more forcibly muted coughs and shaky breathing. To console, Boss caressed her bare back lightly up and down, patting it softly afterwards. It was such a nice moment the two were having…this was the reunion Boss had dreamed of.

But in the midst of the unspoken joy, hollering of a man could be heard.

"Hey! Stop! Colonel!", he was speaking in Russian, obviously the guy was a Soviet, and not a Dog.

Quiet flinched and jolted her head towards the door when the noises of a tank and loud footsteps were near. A clank sounded off too. She used her and made the "Hush!" signal with her fingers, on top of his lips. He rolled his eyes at the gesture, but his lips tugged into a smile. _Still as alert as ever._

They remained in the inaudible state as they listened in to the muffled conversation. A clank sounded out as the man threw something at the vehicle to get the attention. There was a slight pause.

"Colonel!"

"What is it, you mongrel?!", he must've been the Colonel, considering his deep voice and pissed off attitude.

"Where are you going?!"

"Here's where we're going, in case you haven't noticed, stupid: out of this shithole!"

"But we haven't found the girl! Or the squad that attacked us!"

"Forget 'em! Out of sight, out of mind! Besides, remember the state the girl was in last time we saw her? She was as sick as a dog! Bitch is probably dead by now!"

"But sir, Cipher paid us a lot to get that girl! They need her parasites!"

"Cipher can fuck themselves for all I care! I lost a lot of men trying to get her. Even if we got these tanks, they're not enough! Besides, the pieces of shit aren't even that different from our standard issue! Not even by a bit!"

"So what, do we call it off? Fake it?"

"What else?! We'll still get the money, and we'll keep our resources."

"OK…but-"

"Shut up, idiot! Relay it to the other backup squadron by word of mouth! Cipher's listening to comms."

"What do I say?"

"The enemy squad has been eliminated. The sniper tried to assist them and one particular now-dead dumbass blew her up to bits and pieces. We were unable to recover the parasites, but we did eliminate the target as requested."

"Yes sir!"

More loud thuds came from the sound of boots, and the tank's rumbling got farther and farther the more time passed. Now gone, Quiet turned to Boss, grabbing his iDroid and shutting off the link to the enemy comms so that they won't be caught.

Setting the iDroid on the ground next to her, Quiet faced the laying Snake, beaming happily. The soldier noted that the Colonel was right. She had bags under her eyes, the color of her skin was a bit faded, and her eyes were faded. From the signs of it, she might not survive much longer. A week tops.

"Quiet…I…I want to tell you about everything. But…I mean…"

The female tilted her head inquisitively, her lips changing to show her curiosity. Another wheezed cough escaped her lips.

"Look at you. You're the worst I've seen you at."

She obviously didn't take it well, from her downtrodden expression and lowered head. But her face also told she knew exactly what he said was 100% true. Boss, having regained some strength by now, extended for her hand. She feebly grasped it with some hesitance while Boss beheld her with worry.

"Come back to Mother Base. Let Code Talker help you. I've seen what that parasite does to people. I had to shoot my own men while they hacked blood, begging for me to save them after the second outbreak. Even if I'm not the one doing you in…I don't want to lose you. I never want to see you in the sorry state my soldiers were."

Quiet tucked her lips as he went on. "Even if parasites made you this way…I don't want to know what it'll do to you. Ever since you spoke the tongue the vocal parasite was for…you woke them up. That's why you are the way you are now. At this rate, you'll be a corpse. Let Code Talker use Wolbachia treatment before it kills you. I'm sure he'll find a way to remove the vocal strain without affecting the ones that give you life."

The silent sniper shook her head silently, a tear falling as she licked her lips in a tense fashion. She faintly squeezed the non-bionic hand with both of hers.

"Quiet…I don't care what Miller thinks. I need you to take that risk. Come back!"

Again, a no from her, accompanied by the tears flowing out, one by one.

"Quiet!"

Once more, a shake, as she wiped the liquid and coughed again.

"Quiet, please! I don't want you to die...because…because…I love you!", he blurted out the line with extra volume.

Then the grip was released and his hand dropped to the floor as she twitched backwards onto her butt, her head nearly colliding with the wall behind her. Never before has he seen her _this_ flabbergasted. He thought it was weird. The body language between them when rain fell on Mother Base was evident enough of his statement. Maybe it's the weight of words that made her respond in that manner.

Boss rotated his head towards the wall, clearly upset at her reaction. "If you won't come back with me…", he gradually got his torso up, checking for serious wounds, now that he was more recovered than before. "…then show me where my men are so I can take them home."

More sounds of engines came from outside, signifying that it must be the other backup vehicle that arrived. "Give me my iDroid.", you could just taste the disappointment and offense in his command.

Hesitantly using her foot, she slid the item towards him, using the mattress as a stopping point. He grasped it and turned enemy comms back on.

"…leaving now, over!"

"Roger, Dmitri 7! Head back to base and get some rest, over."

A dinging noise signified the alert was over and that no more enemies were around. "My men. Bring me to them.", the man then stood up on his legs and dusted off his sneaking suit, smearing some of the blood in the process. Pulling out a medical spray, he spritzed the areas and grunted from the sting.

[- -]

 **Aabe Shifap Ruins, Northern Kabul, Afghanistan**

 **2000 hours**

Quiet pointed her laser at a structure on the other side of the river continually as Venom followed it. Once he arrived, she shut off the laser and watched from the scope, unbeknownst to him. The group was hiding in cover behind the decayed, ancient building, being sure to stay away from the window, even if the enemy was gone completely. Jackal pointed a Ze'ev at Snake in panic before lowering it, his eyes wide in surprise. "Boss! You're alive!"

"Boss? It's…you…", a weakened voice called to him. With his balaclava and beret off, he recognized him as Mastiff. He was holding his arm and cringing from the pain.

"Hold still! I can't fix you up if you squirm!", Octopus chided as she wrapped the wound with a dress. "I'm almost done anyways, big baby!"

"She's a medic too, huh?", Boss wondered aloud.

"Yea. Forgot to mention that in our introductions. Sorry!", Octopus replied as she put the finishing touches on the field dressing.

"What happened to Mastiff?", Boss drew attention to the arm that was now dressed in gauze with a slowly growing red spot.

"Mastiff tried to play hero after seeing you go under. Shot at a lot of the backup infantry. He racked up a lot of kills too. But one wrong move he made earned him an SV bullet that grazed him pretty bad.", Wallaby sniffed as he told the story.

Boss doubted that he was "grazed". From the looks of it, the guy took a bullet through his outer arm. But he let it slide. No use fussing over it anyways.

"The rest of you fine?", Snake skimmed over the group.

"Yea. Octopus had decoys and some leftover stealth camo for the ones that needed it.", Jackal directed his gaze at Mastiff when speaking the last phrase.

"What about Quiet, Boss? Were we right?", a worn-out Puma rested against the wall.

"Yea. She was here."

"And? Did she-"

"No.", Snake interrupted Puma almost instantly, his eyes fixated on the ground.

"What? Why? Did you say anything about-"

"The Wolbachia treatment? Yea. Still a no."

The aura of sympathy emanated from all the soldiers as they turned to comprehend the Boss's state. He could feel all the eyes just wearing him down like lasers on a slab of metal.

"I'm…I'm sorry Boss. You must've tried your best to get her back.", Jackal comforted the man by patting his shoulder, to which Venom quickly swiped away. To say no one was in disbelief was an understatement. A lot of them actually expected it.

"No I didn't try my hardest. If I did, she would've come. All our efforts were for nothing."

"Boss…"

The horned man was so frustrated beyond words. How could she, who's knocking on Death's door, refuse his offer? It was so…outrageous! Ridiculous! He had enough of her. So he quickly changed the subject when he remembered something.

"Where's DD? He didn't get caught in the truck, right? I didn't see him out there."

"Shit, that's right! I'll go check Boss! Let's hope DD isn't gone! C'mon Wallaby!", Puma grabbed an assault rifle and quickly rose up and ran off towards the truck, while Wallaby closely followed with his lethal shotgun.

The area was devoid of any talking once the two were off to fetch DD. Boss clenched his robotic hand as his stare was _still_ on the ground. "Call the chopper for pick up. We're getting the hell out of here."

"…Are you sure, Boss? You still have time to convince Quiet."

"Jackal, she said no before, what makes you think her mind will change?! We're leaving without her. Mission failed! It's over!", Boss transitioned from melancholy to fury quite explosively. "I don't wanna hear a peep about her! You even speak her name, and I'll take that gun of yours and smash you over the head with it!"

This resentment was recognizable. Miller felt this way about Skull Face and Cipher. Not once has any of Big Boss's soldiers seen him take off the mask he wears. Now his true face was showing. Jackal actually shrunk a fraction. Boss was never this angry in public, or anywhere really. The man truly had changed.

"Yes sir.", the squad leader replied neutrally.

In a way to vent his feelings, he took his bionic hand and drove it into a nearby cliff, making a fist-sized hole in it accompanied by cracks. His wrath-filled exhaling was then replaced by woeful, quiet weeps. Now he was more broken than before.

Puma and Wallaby at that moment returned with a limping D-Dog, who was thankfully able to survive the crash at the cost of taking a lot of damage. DD barked softly as he continued to stagger towards his master, as the two soldiers stood from a distance. The mere sight of Boss's fist in a cliff was enough of a warning flag to stand back for them.

His fist popped out of the cliff as he was brought to his knees, hearing the whining of DD as the dog went up to him and started licking away the salty tear drops.

"Boss-", Mastiff was gently silenced by Jackal, followed by a shaking of the leader's head.

 _SUPPORT HELICOPTER: REQUESTED._

Jackal's iDroid droned as he led the group away, staying behind to assist Octopus with a limping Mastiff as he took one of the breacher's arms and placed it over his shoulder. Wallaby and Puma came and picked up DD, carrying him all the way to their destination. As Jackal and Octopus trudged to the LZ, with Mastiff's feet dragging, they noticed a small bump and almost nearly fell back at the force, noticing the water being splashed in surges as the paper notepad and pencil disappeared in the blink of an eye.

They knew it was Quiet. Not wanting to wait and see what can of worms it would open, they continued onward to the helicopter's predicted landing area.

Quiet reappeared and scratched away with her pencil on the notepad, tearing off a note and letting it float gently to the ground before taking off again, dropping the two items at the point that would be the landing zone, right by where she laid after defeat by the hands of her future love.

Boss slowly peeked from behind him, spotting the note and reaching it, taking it in his hands and unfolding it. It read:

" _I am sorry. One day, we will meet again. I will survive. I promise."_

At the bottom was a cute little doodle of a butterfly. But it didn't matter to him. He crumbled it into a ball and threw it behind him, getting up hastily and power walking to catch up with the group. _I can't believe her. She….ARGH!_

 _Promise to meet again?! Survive?! Since when was she a ditz?! Doesn't she know the situation she's in?! There won't_ be _a next time! And to think she's sorry…what a bunch of bullshit!_

This note was only more fuel for the fire that burned inside him. He was so ire that he swore for a moment that he nearly stomped in his stride.

"This is Pequod, arriving shortly at LZ!"

"Queequeg here, ditto what Pequod said!"

The squad stood from a distance as they eyeballed the helicopters. The two made a slow descent before reaching a low enough level to where they were barely hovering above the ground. "This is Pequod! We have arrived at LZ!"

The Ocelot Unit all packed into the chopper Queequeg was piloting, knowing the Boss needed some time alone. DD followed the fallen demon into the chopper, hopping up with some assistance from Snake and yapping a couple of times as he hobbled to the area behind Pequod's seat and laid down. The helicopter blades' pace quickened as the chopper was lifted.

Quiet reappeared and studied the chopper Boss was in from the broken down structure near the arch, closely peering at his expression. She knew what he did with the paper. She witnessed it from the scope of her rifle. Her heart felt like it was going to break, but yet at the same time she began to wonder if the man would ever forgive her. And as she wondered, she had an epiphany.

She was the reason Boss was so…different. Why he changed into a shell of his former self. She knew something was off about him, especially the way he acted. And that confession too! She knew it was from his heart, she could sense that. But the way he just put it out there to convince her to come was random. Sure, it was from his heart, but she knew him. He is not one so open to his feelings.

He was seriously that desperate for her. And with the way he was acting now, and how he threw the note, she may never see him again after this. Ever.

She cursed herself for being so stupid. So ignorant. Boss was trying to help her. To save her. But she couldn't see it. All she saw in herself was that she was a danger to everyone and that she had to get away, not once considering what Boss meant. He viewed her in a way entirely different from everyone since day one.

She wasn't a danger to him at all. Not even when she was healthy and kicking. She was a friend of his. No more than that. She was "the one", and so was he.

She loved him. He loved her.

Plus, on that note, she was reminded of the tape she gave as a good bye to him.

That was why he couldn't speak about the "everything that happened". Why he changed the topic to straight up begging for her. The feelings she wanted to express to him that she mentioned on the tape.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid! Go now or he'll never forgive you!_ , she chastised herself.

It was at that moment she acted purely on instinct, and all that weakness from being sickly washed away. Just as Boss was about to close the door, she disappeared and hopped onto the arch and then jumped for the chopper's handle as she intercepted the flight pattern.

A loud bang sounded as she successfully grabbed the handle after reappearing, smacking hard against the chopper, nearly causing it to veer off course before it reset.

"What the hell?!", Boss peeked out as he cancelled his action to drag the door shut. " _You?!"_

She struggled against the wind of the quick chopper gaining speed, her hand up to shield against the wind. "So you want back now, huh?! After everything I told you, you denied me! Why I should I take you back?!", Boss screamed over the turbulent winds.

Quiet's body was being flung around like a flag in a hurricane, and slowly her adrenaline was fading. She could feel her arms slipping as her body was lifted in air.

"Boss, stop being a dick and let her in! Besides, we're gonna gain more speed! She won't hold on for much longer. She might fall and die!", Pequod blasted over his comms.

"Can it, Pequod! You don't know what it's like to be in my shoes!", he pushed the ear piece. "I wasted hours and lots of valuable resources on finding her, and what does she do?! Deny, deny, deny! She wouldn't come back for any reason! _Any_ reason! How would you feel if you were me?!"

Silence as Snake was boiling this mixture of regret, self-disappointment, anger, and hate. The way he was treating her was like a monster, but a man becomes just that when he lets wrath get the better of him. Quiet's hand was beginning to slide on the bar, but she adjusted and pulled herself forward with her other hand before being pushed by the forces that be, leaving her holding on with one hand again.

"I'd be pissed off too! But look at her, Boss! Holding on for dear life cause she changed her mind! She probably feels guilty for saying no! She might be "waking up" to your reasons! Just let her in, Boss. This isn't you."

Now the anger was struggling to stay strong as his mind toiled with itself. That note and that denial was burning into his memory, but he also flashed back to the moment when he stood over her when they met a second time in the ruins.

The emotions running at that moment caught up with him in the present. That helplessness. The things he sensed from her.

It was then that he felt regret for the first time. And in such a hard way too. It all came on him like a freight train.

"Boss! Hurry!"

Boss grimaced as his heart strings were pulled. Pequod was right. Never before has Venom been more ashamed of himself than when he had to kill his soldiers to stop the second parasite outbreak. "You're right."

He then rushed towards the door, leaning out to face her.

"Quiet! I'm sorry! Pequod, slow it down a little!", his hand was out stretched continually as the helicopter tilted back to slow it down. Quiet snatched his hand with a firm girp and was jettisoned into the chopper as he pulled her in, combined with the force of her feet pushing off the door.

She slammed against the right seat as Boss dragged the door closed right when Pequod picked the speed back up, the alignment returning to normal. Quiet panted from the adrenaline she gained from the experience.

"Quiet. I didn't mean to…that wasn't the real me. My inner demons just…will you ever forgive me?", his hand was tenderly out, and she took it, intertwining her fingers. She nodded three times before looking up at Boss and smiling slightly. "I'm surprised you did after all the childish things I did."

"Quiet's allowed to give mercy Boss. She's human too.",Pequod interjected.

"Pequod…"

"Yea, yea. I'm making a point here Boss."

The man just shook his head and smiled as D-Dog barked with joy. Boss reached into a compartment behind him and pulled out another respirator, handing it to Quiet. "Here."

Quiet nodded as she wrapped the straps around her head after fitting it on.

It wasn't long before another familiar voice spoke to him. "Well, well, well. Mission successful, Boss. Come back to the Medical Platform when you arrive. I'll be waiting for you. And I'll make sure Miller doesn't know."

Snake replied simply as he pushed his earpiece button. "Thanks."


	6. Like A Butterfly

**A/N: So here is the next one. Y'know what's fun? Slamming your wrist by accident on a nice, thick, bass fret board and ending up spraining it.**

 **Yea that happened to me. So this one took a little longer than usual.**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Like A Butterfly…

 **Medical Platform 1, Mother Base, Seychelles Waters**

 **0800 hours**

Click. Clack. Click. Clack. Click. Clack.

This was the noise that sounded off in rapid succession after he carefully exited the vehicle and staggered to the entrance of the Medical Platform. When he found those choppers not landing on the Command Platform, he knew something was up.

He would've understood if only one landed near the medical facility. After all, Miller heard of the weary engagement. About all the numerous tanks and squads that came their way. But something on the enemy comms that spread around the base caught his ear.

The "bitch" they were talking about.

When Miller finally fathomed it all the night before, he was enraged. The sound of him smashing the objects in his room practically echoed throughout the Base Development platform. He knew there was more to that gathering than just assisting the rebels.

He was trying to locate Quiet and bring her back. And he was not about to have any of it.

The Diamond Dog in front of the small opening between the white buildings at the entrance of the platform noticed him, and put a hand out. "Halt sir! I have specific orders to not let you pass."

"Really now?", the man drawled in a passive-aggressive way as he continued to stamper in his direction. "I don't recall giving you the authority. Now move out of the way!"

"Sir, if you do not stop, I will have to apprehend you!"

The Dog pointed the unsuppressed Riot SMG at Miller, the blond not stopping at all on his path to the scene. "I'll count to 3!"

Still, no intent of turning back or sojourning from the crippled commander.

"1!"

Click. Clack. Click. Clack.

"2!"

The clatters of his cane and prosthetic leg sped up as he came closer.

"3!"

Just as he was about to pull the trigger and fire, Miller swung his cane, forcing the gun out of his hands and making it slide to the side. Then, Miller thrusted the cane into his abdomen with force, causing the soldier to hunch over. With an upward swipe of the cane, the Dog was on his back, lying on the ground stunned temporarily.

Miller lumbered over him and pressed his cane into his chest. "Ocelot should've got better security. Try again next time, rookie.", he hoarsely whispered to the soldier, clearly mad.

Kazuhira continued, cringing at the fact that there was no one else around the area to prevent him from getting further. Once he was at the second opening, just a small distance from the downstairs cell that Quiet was held in, he figured out why there was no other security.

All the dumbasses crowded to the chopper to see if the rumors were true. The young male from before may have been weak, but he sure was smart. Clearly, at least he saw the man was worthy enough to be in the organization. He viewed the other men with disgust as they gave in to their nosiness.

Some soldiers they were. However, Miller came out fully now, the Diamond Dog guards revolving when they heard the strange noise of Miller. Murmurs soon erupted as the men were taken aback, and parted like the Red Sea.

In this separation, Miller now had a clear shot of the two men who fibbed to him. Boss was carrying the now even sicker Quiet in his arms bridal style, the two having gas masks on covering their lower face. Quiet was in a pitiful state. Her body was fragile and limp, not even her neck could keep her head up. The only movement seen of her head and neck was from the hacks and wheezes. Even her skin seemed to be even paler. Ocelot's expression was that of seriousness and displeasure. The latter being because of not only Quiet's current condition, but also because his men disobeyed his orders.

Miller's fingers grabbed the support of his sunglasses and took them off, folding one and letting the other beam hang onto his coat chest pocket. With his blank eyes, he stared down the two as the distance between them shortened.

Now they were only a foot from each other. Kaz's nose crinkled as his lips curled down.

"I can't believe you Boss."

There was nothing to say from the other two.

"We knew we couldn't bring her back. That when she escaped, that would've been the time to kill her. You spared her instead. We had to leave her behind. And what did you do? Mount a rescue effort, giving me the impression that it was a combat deployment."

His voice was oddly stern and calm.

"Look at her. She's miserable. Do you hear her suffering?"

More coughs from the afflicted sniper.

"It didn't take long for you to deploy. Why was the journey back so damn long?"

"They had to stop and refuel, Miller. And you have to account timezones."

Ocelot answered for Venom, his face never changing from before and returning the stare back at the giver. Again, nothing was spoken, save for the sickly breathing and hacks.

"How did she get like this in hours? How was she before this?"

"Similar. Only her coughs were a bit more controlled. She may be just releasing the ones she held in."

Now Boss was the one to speak up, his stoic manner now returned. Though he told the words, he felt inner doubt at his own defense.

Kaz glanced from one to the other, and continued to do so without having spoken a word. It was like this for a bit.

"Move Kaz. We need to get her to Code Talker and fix this before she dies.", Boss combed back a loose strand of hair on the girl's head as her diseased symptoms ceased for a bit before starting back up again.

The blond shook his head and slammed down his cane, perpendicular to the floor. He quickly flipped his glasses back on. "Fine. Do it. I don't agree with this. It could be extremely dangerous to her, what with the other, non-vocal parasites. But if you wanna cure her, I won't stop you. I'll…support you Boss. As I always had since the beginning of Diamond Dogs.", he adjusted his beret and hastily stormed off back towards the waiting jeep near the connecting platform bridges.

Boss wasted no time in rapidly ambling to Code Talker's lab on the first floor with Ocelot by his side. Kicking the button with his foot, Boss made his presence known by the loud thuds of his boots connecting with the pavement.

The area was standard of a lab. There were two island counters that were parallel to each other, the farthest one being stacked with contraptions of all sorts meant for creating various liquids, with the other having a sink and various tools for handling substances, and said substances, with a single notebook containing information on different kinds of mixtures, like how to make them and their purpose.

Code Talker, being in the very front of the room, was absolutely still in his wheelchair, facing the window that looked out over the sea. The parasites fled back to his body as he spoke in his usual strained voice.

"You have come…with her."

"You know why?"

"Yes. I do."

"Then you have an idea of how to proceed?", Ocelot tilted back a little, his eyes pointing down as his head went up.

"Of course. It will take a while however. I must research a way to separate the parasites she has before I enact treatment. I do not want to accidentally kill her."

"How long?"

Code Talker hummed in thought. "Depends. Could take days. Weeks. Months."

"We don't have that kinda time.", Boss jabbed in as soon as he could. "Most we got is a week."

The wheezing coughs were enough evidence for that. This did not have to be pointed out. Code Talker sighed as he shut his eyes and moved his head down.

"I'll give you my most skilled staff to assist you. With their help, how long exactly will it take?", Boss adjusted his grip on Quiet as he rattled her softly like a baby in his arms, with her coughs continuing and maybe worsening.

Another pause from Code Talker as his head went back to standard position and his eyes reopened. "Three days minimum. Five days maximum. I estimate this if the staff you mention is as good as you make them out to be."

"Trust us. They are.", Ocelot crossed his arms and nodded, his face now opposite of before.

Pause again.

"Place her on that bed and I will do my best. Send them immediately, and make sure they take precautionary measures before coming here. I will see your men later.", he wheeled to get behind the island he was just in front of, flipping open the notebook to page and carefully studying its contents before he set off creating a concoction to temporarily quell that cough of hers, while Boss strolled over to the bed in question and set her down gently.

His natural, gloved hand cupped her face and caressed it with the most careful and gentle touch. "It's alright Quiet. You'll be cured. Then we can talk all you would like. We can express our feelings…together.", he murmured to her, stroking her hair before stepping back.

"Let's go Ocelot. I feel like if we don't deal with Miller soon, he'll combust into a ball of wrath.", he still faced the woman.

"I felt that same exact way. It must've been difficult for him to keep his composure out there."

Spinning around as he went backwards, he headed out the door with the cowboy close by. Code Talker, now having finished the mixture, poured it into a bowl, using his parasites to wheel himself over by as he held the item in with both hands.

Placing it on a side stand next to the head of the bed, he meticulously removed the gas mask from Quiet. She immediately began gasping for air, which made Code Talker all the more grim. He swiftly rolled to the oxygen tank's tubing, grabbing the tube and utilizing the parasites to restrain Quiet's trembling from the coughing fit.

Placing the prongs of the nasal cannula in her nose and pushing up so that it was inserted firmly. Slowly, her jolting reduced, before restoring her to calmer state, her mouth still erupting coughs.

"Poor Child…," he mumbled, pulling her lower jaw down and pouring the mixture into her mouth. As he expected, she didn't take it well considering she was used to absorbing everything through her skin, no thanks to "the one that covers". Hell, if she wasn't so weak right now, she would probably spit it up instead of swallowing it like she did. However, she had no choice. And judging from how hard she coughed and convulsed after removing the mask, the infection was affecting the parasites that made her live too.

Now Code Talker knew just how dire the situation is. Whatever was going on and how it was, the infection was making her deteriorate faster than Boss assumed. Maybe she wouldn't have a week left to live, but more like 4 days.

The old man sighed. This would be a tough virus to crack, but if Boss acted on his word, then it should be no problem.

The door to his lab soon opened, with seven Dogs moving in. One of them saluted at the WW2 veteran. "Sir! You needed us?"

Code Talker could feel himself grin. Looks like Snake wasn't kidding around. Though, this was expected of him. The man was very serious in his expenditures, especially with his love so close to leaving this world. "Yes, I do. See the notebook?"

The highly skilled grunt directed his eyes on it, and so did the rest. "Yea."

"Read through it. Find the page concerning the Wolbachia. Then we can get to work."

"Aye, sir!"

These men certainly were as experienced as the horned man promised. When Code Talker spun around, the group read through it in nothing flat and started on the lab equipment, handling it flawlessly. "So what's the alteration for?", one of them probed at the Navajo.

"You'll see."

[- -]

 **Combat Platform 1, Mother Base, Seychelles Waters**

 **0900 hours**

"The least you could've done is put her out of her misery. Think about the story of Old Yeller. Dog gets rabies, kid has to shoot it. That dog would've been in agony, and he would've infected the family and hurt them.", Miller's belligerent attitude returned when they were in the briefing room. The same place where Boss met the Ocelot Unit and discussed plans.

Venom was not appreciative of the comment, apparent by the fact he grabbed Miller's shirt, nearly pulling him up with the bionic arm. "Don't you dare compare Quiet to a diseased mutt. We can heal her."

Ocelot slammed the bionic hand down, pushing the two apart. Such a shame the calm act really was a façade. Can't say it wasn't unexpected though.

The shaded, beret-wearing man huffed out through his nose as Venom simply glared him down. With the aforementioned restoring his posture, he readjusted his shirt and pushed the glasses upwards, moving the bridge up his nose.

"Why are you acting like this Miller? I thought you said you supported me.", Boss questioned him.

"Just because I support you, doesn't mean I can't be angered at your decision."

"That's fine, but when you start attacking the people I try to protect, that's when your "venting" gets too far."

"Do you ever think to put yourself in the shoes of the people you protect? What if she wanted to die out there?", Miller whipped out his cane in the direction of the door.

"I already told you. She changed her mind and was set on coming back. We forgave each other, and that was that.", Boss crossed his arms and lowered his brows.

"What about our men? What if she dies anyway, making your rescue pointless and infecting our men again because you're sensitive to cremating your "lover"?!", Miller taunted the man.

"I'm not that attached, Miller. I understand to I need to live and let die.", Venom clenched his teeth.

"Oh? But you sure were attached enough to mount a rescue effort towards her, taking resources needed for deployments!", Miller almost started getting close to him again until…

"Enough!", Ocelot spun his revolver on his finger, removing it from the holster and shooting a round in the air to shut up the two. They shielded themselves with their arms from the bullet shot before slowing into a normal stance. "This argument is over. You're both acting like bickering children."

Spinning it back into the holster, Ocelot stared dead on into the souls of the commanders. "The decision has been made. Plans have already started. Boss is going to cure Quiet. End of story."

"Let me ask one more thing!", Kaz blasted at the long haired man.

"No.", Ocelot shot down Miller's request.

"Too bad. What about her fertility Boss? If she loved you, wouldn't she want a child?"

"Miller!", Ocelot chided him.

"No Ocelot. He makes a legit point.", Boss put a hand up to refrain Ocelot from condescending his comrade any further. "I'll answer it. Then this conversation is over."

"Do it then.", Ocelot eyeballed him closely.

"Kaz…even if she wanted a child, how would labor go? We know her body works like a plant and she breathes through her skin. We can't give labor outside. It would affect the soldiers we have out there negatively. There are too many things to consider here. Besides…I'm not cut out for family life.", he answered straight to Miller, not straying from his passive facial expression.

There was a small pause of silence before Ocelot clasped his hands together. "Then it's settled. Argument over. Go your separate ways."

Ocelot went to the door by walking between them, opening it and heading upstairs. Boss followed seconds after while Kaz remained. Once everyone was gone, Kaz began mumbling to himself as he sat down on the chair, glazing over the maps and dragging the microphone towards him to make some briefing tapes.

[- - -]

 **The next day…**

 **Code Talker's Lab, Medical Platform 1, Mother Base, Seychelles Waters**

 **1100 hours**

"How's the treatment going?"

"See for yourself.", Code Talker motioned his hand towards the curtained section of the laboratory. Venom fixated on the white drapes, stepping over and pulling it openly slightly, peeping in with his head before opening it fully and heading inside.

She definitely looked a lot better. He discerned how the paleness of her body was gone, her color coming back. There wasn't a lot of coughs, if not any save for one that escaped as he watched her closely. The crappy bags under her eyes were even beginning to disappear. Keyword: beginning. She still gave the impression that she was worn-out.

"Wow. Quite an improvement there.", Boss absent-mindedly commented.

Code Talker rolled his chair through the curtains, batting them off him with his hands and braking near the man. "Only slightly. We've been keeping her steady using various mixed drinks."

"Drinks? Through her skin?", Boss enquired, gyrating his head towards the prevalent figure.

The Navajo shook his head lightly. "Orally."

"How? I thought her body rejected anything that went into her mouth."

Code Talker drew attention to the small vial on the wheeled stand next to the bed. Boss extracted it into his hands with care and inspected the bottle. It was parasite in the capped item, but it was…weirder. More mutated. It wasn't its usual blue color. It was more purplish-gray. Not to mention it was in a irregular shape and had weird extended tendons that sat perfectly still, occasionally moving in a smooth motion. His eyes squinted at the virus.

"What the hell is this thing?", Boss still closely analyzed it as he popped the question.

"A mutated parasite. The one that keeps her alive. "The one that covers…". It was infected by the English strain of the vocal parasite."

"But how? I thought it stayed separate."

"When she spoke in English after you rescued her, the parasites dormant within her awoke again. And when they did, they came back in full force. They altered their genetic code and began spreading to the ones that covered her. That's why she was weakened when you brought her here. By the time you found her in the field, that process has just started to affect her."

Boss placed the item back on the table before glaring hard onto the floor. "Can you still…."

"Yes. We are currently studying ways to transmute the Wolbachia to only target the vocal, and those mutated ones. Could you hand it over?", Code Talker reached out his feeble hand to the man and waited.

Wasting no time, Boss plopped it into the Navajo's palm and closed his hand. "Hurry. I don't know how much longer those mixtures will last."

"Trust me, old boy. It will sustain long enough for us to develop a cure."

Code Talker then exited to get back to work with the staff whilst Boss remained by Quiet's side. Running his natural fingers through her hair, he stared intently at her. It took a bit before the woman reacted to it, shifting her head slightly before smiling, knowing who was it judging from the voice she registered earlier.

Venom turned a pulled up a chair, setting down on it whilst continually stroking her hair. He found himself lost in his own thoughts as the laying sniper was in bliss.

That thing Miller said was stuck in his mind, and he couldn't seem to just let it pass. Ruining her fertility…the child. What if…no. It would never be possible. With a face like his that the world renounced, he could never settle down. Especially being connected to Big Boss in such a way like his. Even in old age, he would never leave the battlefield. His soldier days would continue until the day he died.

Even if he tried to imagine it…the thought of raising a child in some random faraway place was ridiculous. The most experience he even had with kids was fultoning the child soldiers out of the battlefield to Mother Base. And look how that ended up.

He couldn't deny it though. He was like Miller, he cared for those kids. As if they were his own. He even cared for Eli, as much of a brat he was.

But…having one of his own? His potential blood?

It was too much for him. He immediately wiped the thought from his head and began anew.

Quiet…oh the regret he had of just letting her go like that. The state she was in was heart breaking. Even if she would become healthy again thanks to his efforts…it still made him wonder about all the possible failures. How she could die in an instant.

Much like the child, he couldn't bear the thought of it. Her passing after all the money he put into trying to keep her alive. He wouldn't let her die, not on his watch. His love for her was that strong.

Snapping out of his mind and escaping back to reality, he noted how his hand was now still and motionless on top of her head. Her lips were still curved upwards into that adorable smile. "Hey Quiet."

Despite having full recognition of the fact that the conversation would be extremely one-sided, he still chatted with her. "You must feeling so much better than before. I can tell."

"Y'know…I'm so dedicated to this, I've put staff in here with Code Talker to make the process quicker. It's taken a small toll against my GMP…but we're still good with that. As long as the big bucks are there, I'm content."

"Miller was having a fit when he saw us. Not in front of the men. I won't tell you about those things now. Maybe later when you and I can really communicate. I'm excited for it."

"I just can't wait to see you up and at it again. DD can't either. I swear I could hear him trying to follow me into the lab. But we can't. Last thing we need is his shedding hair all over the place.", he chuckled.

"DD really misses you. I guess you must've played with him when I took D-Walker or something. One day, you should really visit him again."

After that, Boss caressed her face and patted her shoulder, standing back up. "Well…I should get going. Missions and all. The usual stuff. I'll be back tomorrow. Rest as much as you can, ok?"

He muttered to her, his head jerking around to see if anyone was watching. Lightly, he planted a kiss on her head. "Bye Quiet.", turning on his heel, he pushed through the curtains and headed for the door, exiting to see a yappy DD pacing around in circles, before putting his in head and front paws down in a ecstatic way while his tail wagged.

"Let's go boy!"

The door shut behind the man. Meanwhile, at the bed, Quiet stirred, her arms shuffling around the bed, too weak to reach up, upset over the fact that the hand she sensed was no longer there. Settling back, she continued to smile though as she remembered the kiss. Code Talker spotted it from afar, huffing out in a laughing way once.

"What is it, sir?"

"Nothing."


	7. A Caterpillar Hatches

**A/N: Sorry this took a while. Life happens.**

 **Do enjoy, and please review.**

 **Also, thankfully this chapter is a short one.**

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Chapter 7: A Caterpillar Hatches

 **2 days later…**

 **Medical Platform 1, Mother Base, Seychelles Waters**

 **1700 hours**

Venom bopped his head to the tune of the music as he had the Walkman in his pocket and his headphones on his ear. He put a pep in his step and starting dancing along the path to the door to Code Talker's lab.

 _"People always told me be careful of what you do, and don't go around breaking young girls' hearts. And mother always told me be careful of who you love. And be careful of what you do 'cause the lie becomes the truth!"_

When the chorus came kicking in, he moonwalked into the door, slamming the button and sliding through the opening door in one solid, smooth motion. Spinning around on his boots, he froze as he noticed some of his Dogs saw it and began cackling. He paused his music and cleared his throat, his serious face returning.

"You saw nothing."

"Sure, whatever you say, Boss.", the female teased as she turned to begin working on the antidote once more. He also heard what sounded like snorting, facing the source of it and discovering it was Quiet, who's bed was now positioned to sit up more.

She was definitely a lot more lively than yesterday. Her skin color was returning, and those bags even seemed to disappear. She was as beautiful as he remembered her, back before it all happened.

"Jesus…it's a miracle. Code Talker…how in the world?", Boss moved his head towards the wheelchair-stricken old man.

"We started Wolbachia treatment yesterday. The combination of the tonics really worked wonders with her as well.", he spoke lightly as he inspected the Wolbachia in the test tube, placing it in the circular hole of the holder and rotating towards the other man.

"Has she started taking them in her skin again?", Boss pointed a thumb towards her as she tried to stop her slightly strained giggling.

Code Talker nodded, and held up a finger just as Boss's face lightened. "However, she is not rid of the vocal parasite yet. We have confirmed that _most_ of those mutated ones that cover are gone. The English strain is under control for now, but soon enough she will begin coughing again. So don't expect her to be speaking fully yet."

He nodded once, looking to her then back to him. "You think she'll need speech therapy afterwards?"

The Navajo pleasantly shook his head. "Not really. She just needs those vocal chords of hers to heal with the help of the one that covers. It shouldn't take more than a day for that."

Boss was so relieved to hear that, acknowledging it with a saluting signal with his two forefingers, he moved on over to the beaming Quiet who viewed him with bright eyes. The closer he stepped, the more thrilled she became. For once, after having nearly two to three days of shut eyelids, it was so appeasing to finally see his face again.

As soon as he was close enough, she trapped him in an extremely tight hug, which the man returned. Seconds later, she flinched back out of the embrace into the cushion of the mattress and her cheeks were slightly pink. The sniper's eyes darted to the floor opposite of her.

"It's fine. I appreciated it actually."

Now her face got a little redder, and in turn found it harder to even face the man. But she managed as she gradually fixated onto the male in front of her. The timid, tucked lips formed a small but amazing smile.

"So you're only a day or two away from being fully recovered. You excited?", he made a grin at the woman.

She nodded multiple times in quick succession, her face molding into an "Oh!" expression after that. Rotating towards the table on the opposite end, she picked up what was a large notebook and flipped a couple pages up and stopping. With a swift notion, she ripped the page off its coiled spine and folded it in half vertical wise, before handing it over to Snake.

With the paper between his fingers, he moved his arms back and folded it open to see a nice sketch of a butterfly resting on a snake's head on the left side of it. He chuckled at this, looking up from the makeshift card to her. "Nice picture. Must've taken a while huh?"

The only reply he got was a meek nod and a tapping of the card, insisting he continue to read it. "Alright, alright."

Moving over to the right, he noticed multiple paragraphs' worth of beautiful cursive writing. He whistled as he began to read it.

 _Dear Boss,_

 _I cannot thank you enough. I have nothing but gratitude to express for you and how much effort you put into fighting for me. That tank thing was pretty dumb of you. But I know why you did it. You wanted to protect me. Like you always had from the start._

 _Back in that house on the night you saved me…I'm sorry for how I acted. I was too focused on running away. I cared so much for your army that after that second outbreak, I thought I would worsen it, even if I refused to speak the language the parasites were meant for. After all you showed me in our days in the field, when I first arrived here, and even when we fought in those ruins, I admired you so much._

 _I was trying to kill you. Even after I arrived on your base, I still thought of killing you. I wanted to gain your trust so that way I could finish my job. But you…you ruined it all. You changed me in a way I didn't know was possible. It was all you._

 _I remember when I wasn't so close, but yet not so far from you I hated myself for giving in to your "wiles". I let myself get caught in the trap, and I don't why I think you're good in any way, shape or form. That's what I told myself at least. Deep down I knew something was brewing that my old self wouldn't like…but then my hatred and revenge transferred from you to Skull Face._

 _I realized something. You were a better leader than Skull Face ever was. Sure, he was brutal and efficient. But the way he acted was not human. More like a machine. He had no empathy, no understanding. But you…you had all these things. Above all, you treated me like an equal. Not an underling who receives orders. When you first asked me my thoughts on the plan you shared I was stunned to say the least._

 _Now that I think about it, that was one of the things that made me fall for you. And the more time we spent, the deeper I fell into that rut known as love. Pretty soon enough, I valued you and your army above all else. The army was like my family. That's why I went after that child's charm in the hazardous gassed underground. Because I knew you wanted to get that necklace for the kids. I did it for you._

 _I soon knew all of those things to be true. Soon enough, I had an epiphany about what happened recently too. That rage and grief I caused you in the ruins…I'm sorry about that. I know we already let it go like water under the bridge, but I felt you should know._

 _I guess all that time spent running hazed my mind to you. That's why that outed confession you blurted at me surprised me. It's why I felt…odd, when you were pleading for me to come back._

 _I suppose it was seeing the Legend himself on his knees, begging that shocked me most. But looking back on it now, I know it was cause you loved me. I soon came back for that same reason._

 _The time when I will speak again with no threat is something I long for. So I can speak to you with words, not letters._

 _-Q_

Boss finished processing the words as he geared his head up steadily at her from the card. He noticed how nervous she was, gripping the bed and biting on her lip. They were common in that regard. Neither of them liked to open up that much. Boss reached over and gently landed his hand on top of hers, moving his fingers to lightly stroke her knuckles.

"Hey. It's alright. Don't stress yourself out too much. You'll hurt yourself.", he consoled her as he continually petted her knuckles. Soon enough, her hands eased into a relaxed position, as with the rest of her body.

She then slid her fingers in between Boss's, intertwining their hands. "We haven't had this kinda moment since the rainy day, huh?", he whispered to her.

Ah, the memories that flooded in at that. It was such a nice day. Too bad it all had to end soon. Quiet wrote on the pad and showed it to Boss. _Yea. I miss that._

There was nothing but silence between the two as their eyes mingled around until they connected, the two staring deep into the pools of their colored hues. "Y'know…the entire base kinda knows about us now."

Another scratch of pencil as he gaze averted to the pad. _Who cares?_

Boss let out a single snicker. "Right."

Quiet let out a long breath and fidgeted with the pencil, tapping it against the notebook while Venom was searching for words.

Getting an idea, the "demon" broke the nothingness of sound. "Hey Quiet."

She replied with a hum, giving him her full attention. "Once your voice is all up to snuff…what do you say we go somewhere different for a change? A place that isn't in our operating areas. You think you'd like that?"

Her eyes sparkled at the idea, and she nodded eagerly. He flashed an affectionate smile. "Pick your poison and let me know. We'll head there as soon as we can."

It wasn't long before a trio of smacks on the curtain startled the two. Boss instinctively attempted to retract his hand but cancelled the effort as soon as possible as the words on the notepad replayed in his head. _Who cares?_

"Come in."

Ocelot peeped his head in and faced Boss. "Finally found you, Romeo. Think you could split from Juliet for a moment? It's an urgent mission.", he directed his eyes at the connected hands.

He then disappeared into the curtains. Boss shrugged at Quiet when he circled back around to her. "I gotta take this."

She nodded and motioned for him to go to him. As he got up from the chair, he leaned forward and pecked her cheek, causing her to react with a bigger smile and waving at him as he left the area.

[- -]

He crossed his arms, leaning against the wall of the medical building, reaching into his pocket to pull out a fake cigar. Specifically, the Phantom Cigar. A flame appeared on his iDroid as he held it up and lit it, inhaling before letting out a puff of smoke.

Its mix of mint with other assorted plants filled the surrounding air. "So, what is it this time? Did you find those kids?"

"Not exactly. But we think we might know which direction they came from."

"Really now?", his voice was muffled as he kept the cigar in his mouth. "How so?"

"We know someone in Africa who can testify to this.", Ocelot moved from the front of the door to a spot further out, turning his back to the legendary soldier. "Intel says this guy saw Sahelanthropus flying with a helicopter full of kids. Knows the exact compass direction too."

"Lemme guess. He's not one of us. He's an enemy soldier in an outpost?", Boss pretty much expected this by now, his unsurprised tone showing as he pulled the cigar from his mouth, putting it between his fingers and letting his hand rest near his waist.

"Bingo.", Ocelot pointed one of his hands in his signature fashion as he pivoted around back towards Venom.

"Where? I'll fulton him."

"Details are on your iDroid. You can start whenever."

Venom dropped the cigar on the ground and stomped on the lit end of it. "Alright. I'll go now. I gotta find some way to pass the time while I wait for her.", he hopped off his spot on the wall and began walking towards the helipad by Quiet's original cell, opening his iDroid to request a chopper.

"Atta boy!", Ocelot patted the man's back. "This should be an easy one Boss! Good luck!"

He called to the man in the distance, who was already near the lowering chopper. "Here's to hoping nothing goes wrong. You got a special lady here Boss. Don't keep her waiting.", he murmured as he watched the helicopter fly off in the distance.


	8. And Life Begins Anew

**A/N: Sorry this took so long guys. I kinda had writer's block with this. Plus, I was recovering from a sprained wrist so I couldn't really type. On top of that, since summer vacation is literally 3 weeks away right now, school work is really piling on this time of the year. But I pushed on and made this. It's a bit of another short chapter, but soon after this, the fic will finally finish.**

 **Do enjoy, and please review.**

* * *

Chapter 8: And Life Begins Anew

 **2 days later…**

 **Medical Platform 1, Mother Base, Seychelles Waters**

 **1800 hours**

Boss dusted his sneaking suit off after landing on the helipad, the chopper then taking off and heading to the Command Platform hangar. "G'night, Boss! I'm gonna hit the sack!", Pequod's voice crackled over his radio. His suit was dirtied with all kinds of things. Blood, mud, and dirt covered his face and suit.

"Right. Sleep well, Pequod.", Venom replied, exasperated as he opened the shower unit door and shut himself in. In just a few minutes, he came out refreshed and clean. He let out a heavy sigh, contemplating the mission as he strolled towards the lab.

To say he was not surprised by Cipher's appearance and capture of the man was an understatement. He whole heartedly expected it actually. After all, Sahelanthropus was no longer at a heavily guarded base. It was out in the open, ripe for the taking from Eli's hands.

The one thing he was glad for however was that there were no more Skulls. Just regular old troops. That fact alone made the mission a lot easier than it would have been. It still didn't shadow the fact that finding him was pretty annoying, what with spec ops staying close by. But hey, it's all behind him now. He got the guy fultoned without harming or even alerting a soul. That's all that matters now.

Still, Venom wished that Eli hadn't taken the Metal Gear and ran away with it. He'd rather focus on Quiet for now, but it's like he himself knew. The life of a soldier never settles down for long. Pretty soon enough, they'll find Eli and his child soldiers again, and the fun times will be over. And as long as Sahlenthropus and Cipher still exist, their fight with XOF will never end.

He predicted Cipher appearing wherever Eli ended up. They're like dogs on the trail of his scent.

Maybe he'd have to train his men to undergo anti Metal Gear training…

Snapping out of his deep ponder as he bumped into something, he stepped back and stood blankly at the door to the lab he had visited the past few days on Mother Base. In anticipation, he pressed the button and stepped in after it slid open. Scanning his surroundings, he noticed something was off.

First of all, Code Talker was nowhere to be found. Second, the staff of seven soldiers was now reduced to two. One male and one female. He identified the two as Jackal and Octopus from the squad. Neither of them were even in the team he recruited for the Navajo. What's more is that they were slaving away at the counters with wet, sudsy towels.

"Where is everyone? And what are you two doing here?", Boss said as he pointed his finger at the two. They stopped their actions to direct their attention to him. Jackal saluted while Octopus threw the rag over her shoulder.

"Hey Boss. Figured you would come by. How was the mission?", she asked.

"Good. But that's not what I want to hear."

"Sorry, Boss. We've just been cleaning the crap your "experts" made.", she sighed as she went back to the sink and rinsed the rag.

"Plus, Mastiff got curious and knocked over a glass of liquid chemicals. We wasted hours making sure it didn't erode the table.", Jackal interjected as he wiped off the large station.

"So then they all left?", Boss checked with them as he patrolled around.

"Yep.", Octopus said.

"What?! Don't they know they got a-", Boss stomped over to the curtained area where Quiet lay, nearly ready to rant about enacting some punishment before cutting himself off. The bed was completely empty and spiffy. Like nobody ever was on it. "Nevermind. I stand corrected.", he mumbled as he closed the curtain and faced the two again.

"Yea, sorry we forgot to contact you Boss. It's just you were busy with that mission, so we weren't allowed to send anything. Miller was real strict about it.", Jackal apologized as he shared the sink with Octopus, squeezing the rag and washing it under the running water as well. "Ocelot wouldn't even let us record a tape, let alone himself."

"And why's that?", Boss scoffed, leaning his hip against the edge of the counter at the far end.

"I don't know. He wouldn't give us any reason."

He bit his inner lip and tucked the outer ones in. Whatever the mystery was, it better be worth it.

"Right. I'll be heading out. You two have a good night."

"You too Boss.", Jackal replied as he viewed the legend leave the facility and went outside.

Venom inhaled the sea air and exhaled. The scent calmed him as he strolled towards Quiet's cell. Maybe she would be in there.

A trip down the stairs and around the corner to face the cell sure proved him wrong. It was completely empty. The cot was still gone from the week after she left, that sign hinting that her cot wasn't returned. He let out a loud sigh and went back up, his head looking to the stars above in the night sky.

Now was not the time to be playing hide and seek with him, especially with all the things going off in his mind about recent events and the possible future.

He would wait til later to play this game. For now, he needed to relax a little bit. He figured he earned himself a break. Hell, the unit earned one. More than just Mastiff, what with his injury. Maybe even the entire base staff.

He would call it in on his iDroid sometime tomorrow. For now, he started off to get to his room.

[- -]

The door hissed as it slide open and then closed once he stepped through it. Wasting no time, he began to strip himself of the sneaking suit, starting with his weapons. He placed the guns and various tools on the table hastily, shuffling the tape player and typewriter to make room for the items. Next came off the body armor, which he slipped off by pushing the item up and off his head.

The armor dropped with a thud as it landed in the middle of the floor. Simultaneously kicking the armor forward in the direction he was walking towards, he unzipped the under suit down to its final destination near his mid-back, sliding the suit off his shoulders and taking it off like a onesie. Now all was left on him was his boxers and socks.

Opening a dresser cabinet, he stuffed the body armor in a closet along with plated ones for his battle armor, then shutting it. The drawer below it slid open and the man stuffed it in roughly, pulling out a nicely folded blank olive green tee shirt and brown sweatpants.

Fitting on the shirt, he tugged it down and adjusted it to his body before bending down to pull up the pants. He however stopped abruptly when he heard a sudden snort and stifled snicker from behind him.

He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Blew your cover. Nice one rookie.", he then continued his action and darted around to see the one and only uncloak before his eyes.

Quiet was sitting up on his bed, her back against the wall and her knees up to her chest. Her outfit this time was pretty different. Now she wore a pair of running shorts and a sports bra, her gloves, gear, and stockings off. One hand was rested atop her knees while the other covered her mouth as she broke out into full laughter.

Now she was definitely cured determining from how full and boisterous the laughs were. Though faint, Boss swore he could feel his face heat up in bashfulness. "Now what's so funny?!"

Her giggles slowing to bursts of chuckles, she spoke in her soft, accented voice. "I can't believe the so-called "legend" wears purple-heart underwear!"

"Haha. Funny. What are you, 5?", he sneered before his face curled into a warm smile. He was so glad to hear that sweet voice of hers, to see her so alive and well again.

He then plopped onto the bed next to her, putting his hands underneath his head as he rested on the pillow. Quiet slid down into a laying position, turning on her side to face him. He stared out into the ceiling before motioning his eyes to her.

"So you can speak English now without a threat, huh?"

She nodded. "Isn't it great?"

"Yea. It is!", he grinned before tugging his lip to one side in thought. "Y'know…", he racked his brain thinking of the right words to say. "That tape. You remember what you said, right?"

"Of course I do."

"Well…I don't know if you want to express your feelings. I mean, you kinda did with that card yesterday.", his eye was trained on his feet as he curled his toes in a nervous habit.

"Believe me Boss. I still have a lot to say.", her eyes were trained on his patch.

The man then rolled over to lay on his side and give her his complete attention, their eyes meeting. "Go ahead. I'm all ears."

Quiet inhaled through her mouth, her irises wandering the room before staying fixated on her shorts. "I'm…sorry for what I did in the ruins. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was selfish."

"Ah, water under the bridge.", Boss waved it off. "It's fine."

She shook her head, and clearing her throat, she continued. "No, it's not. What I did was wrong of me. You had every right to be angry. I would be too if I were you."

A slight pause.

"But you know…I really do admire you. All the things you've done. For me. For your army. For the kids. It's what made me fall in love with you.", her finger traced the bedding around in a circle. "After all I did in the ruins on both occasions, you still forgave me. And when I came to your base for the first time, while everyone spat at me…you…accepted me. You made me feel like I was part of this big family I never knew I wanted. That I was a Diamond Dog, whether the others would accept it or not."

A moment of silence fell as her cheeks hinged a slight pink color. "I didn't realize all this until you were about to leave. And then you made this effort to cure me, putting your men under his wing, just for me.", she referred to Code Talker and the soldiers Boss ordered for him.

"Boss…", her vision slowed up to meet Venom's.

"Call me…James.", he paused before giving his name. He couldn't call himself Jack. He's not the real Big Boss. But he still wanted a real name for Quiet to remember him by.

"Alright, James…I…", she rolled her eyes and smirked.

"…love you.", Quiet then scooted in and closed the distance between them, connecting her lips with his and wrapping her arms around his neck, making her body touch his. Venom's eyes widened in shock from the action.

Was this actually happening? The man never kissed anyone before, let anyone a woman other than his mother as a child. It sure threw him for a loop.

What was initially shock was then replaced with a warm fuzzy feeling within him. Was this what it was like? Kissing a woman you loved? It was nice. For once, the phantom pain within him faded away and was numbed out. All he could focus on was this moment.

Something tender like this…it was amazing. He returned the favor, easing into the lip-lock. He was so absorbed in the moment, it felt like an eternity, a never ending moment. Or well, he wished. Soon enough, the two had to part and catch their breath.

The not-so-silent-anymore sniper panted lightly and rested her forehead on his, smiling brightly. She then took note of the warmth and cold metal that was wrapped around her waist, which made the grin only grow. There was nothing but dead air at this moment, before it was broken.

"I love you too, Quiet.", Big Boss muttered to her.

Out came a small giggle from her. "I don't think that name suits me anymore."

"Well, then what should I call you?", his eyes moved up, the vision directly meeting hers.

"Stefanie.", she quirked.

"Stefanie…what a beautiful name.", he remarked as he nuzzled her on the nose.

"Oh stop it.", she cooed as her cheeks took on a light shade of pink. Boss simply let out a chuckle as he lay there cuddling his lover. Today was such a nice day, nothing could go wrong.

"So…about your promise.", she gave a smug look at Boss. "I thought about it."

"And?"

She bit her lip in this cute way before speaking. "How does a day in Germany sound?"

"Klingt gut, mein Liebe.", he taunted as Quiet laughed.

"Funny."

It wasn't long before a burst of static rang out and startled the two, pulling them from their embrace as Boss rolled off the bed onto the floor. The iDroid laying on the table rang out. "Boss! This is urgent! It's about Cipher and Eli!"

James sighed heavily. Guess there wasn't any rest for the wicked. Even Quiet puffed out. As Boss got to his feet, he turned to see Quiet back in the position she was when she came out of hiding, only this time staring menacingly at the wall and pouting. "Dammit…", she huffed as her lower face dug in to her arms.

Boss shrugged. "Maybe another time. After this, I promise we'll go."

It was then that Quiet cloaked while hopping off the bed and dashed out of his room.

Of all times this issue came up again, it had to be now. He didn't even get a day to rest. _The job of a soldier never takes breaks._ **,** he lamented.

Well, time to go back into the battlefield.


	9. EPILOGUE: Kingdom of the Flies

**A/N: "Kept you waiting, huh?"**

 **YEA YEA I KNOW IT TOOK FOREVER TO COME OUT. But I had a serious case of writer's block, plus I was focusing on some other stuff I was writing (like yet another Metal Gear fanfiction surprise! :O). And not only that, but school likes to give the most amount of homework before summer, along with studying for finals.**

 **But hey, I've been in summer for a bit now so I don't have to worry about it! Plus, this vacation is really the only reason why I even finished this thing.**

 **But YEESH this chapter is long. Like a whole 1,000 words more than Chapter 5 (plus even more cause of the author's notes!). Hope this lengthy, juicy finale was worth the wait!**

 **Pay attention for a couple of surprises I got planned not only for an entirely different fanfiction, but for this one as well. ;)**

 **Stay frosty my dudes!**

 **~CJ**

* * *

 **EPILOGUE: Kingdom of the Flies**

 **Combat Unit Platform 1, Mother Base, Seychelles Waters**

 **1900 hours**

Back in the same old room again. The exact one he was in during their search and rescue briefing. Only now the squad wasn't with him. It was just him, Ocelot, Miller, and Quiet (surprisingly). Only now she returned to her normal outfit.

Boss walked over and popped a squat near her. "Why'd you change?", he whispered.

"Did you forget I breathe through my skin? I need the most air I can take in for this kind of work.", she murmured back. She then made a smug smile. "Plus, it gives you a-"

"Say no more. I know.", Boss muttered, looking to her as he placed a finger on her lips. She snickered at the thought of her words.

Snake then stood in full as the two men in front of them turned from their quiet conversation. Miller pushed up his glasses and shuffled over to lean on the table. "Boss, we found Eli and the kids."

It was then that Ocelot placed his iDroid on the table, a map of an island being projected and slowly zooming out. From the familiar locations on the map, it was a small island off the eastern coast of Africa. "What's more…the pilot they captured returned to us. We found near death. Poor guy was starving and dehydrated.", Miller grimaced at the memory of how he looked.

"He told us their location and what was going on. Eli…he made his own kingdom on that island with the child soldiers. It's like he's trying to make something to combat us."

Boss simply shook his head as the map zoomed back in to the island. Miller continued. "It gets worse. Eli apparently caught a strain of the English parasite. And…Cipher found him. They're planning to send a large force of multiple platoons over to capture him and Sahelanthropus. The few of those men from Cipher that did find Eli didn't last long. The kid plucked a hazardous material suit from one and is wearing it now."

The group listened intently as Ocelot began to interject now. "We don't have a picture of him, but from the pilot's description we got an idea. He even gave us the route to find Eli and the kids to prevent getting lost. This is what we called you over for. We need to act now before Cipher can get to him. And we absolutely must destroy Sahelanthropus too."

"Right.", Boss nodded. "I imagine you guys will send troops when it comes to the Metal Gear."

"Of course, Boss.", Miller readjusted his beret. "It'll be tough for only one man with that reinforced armor we made."

"We should head out now. Are you ready, Boss?", Ocelot asked as he grabbed the iDroid of his and put it away in his pocket, shutting it off.

Boss leaned his head back and smirked at the core members of Diamond Dogs. "Like I have a choice. Course I am."

Ocelot then bowed his head at him. "Alright, we'll prepare the forces while you go. Good luck Boss.", he then did his signature sign of 'You're pretty good'.

Boss saluted and then turned on his heel, heading out the door with Quiet soon following. As it closed behind them, Quiet trotted faster to catch up with him and took hold of his hand. "This is it, huh?", she wondered aloud. "The final moment?"

He shook his head. "No. If you're talking about Sahelanthropus, then kinda, yea. But overall? Hell no. It's only just the end of the beginning."

They stopped on the steps near the door to the outside of the combat platform, hearing the muffled whir of a nearby helicopter. "This is Pequod, on station at LZ!", his voice crackled over Boss's radio.

She crossed her arms as she leaned against the wall. "Fine. Do you think we'll ever get some peace after this?"

Boss stared at her before speaking up again. "Yea, I think so. It'll calm down a little without a prevailing threat."

She sighed, closing her eyes. "I can only hope." Boss then placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her lightly, giving her a reassuring expression. He then took his index finger and thumb and lightly used them to cup her chin in between them. Bringing her lips closer to his, they were connected once more. Almost as soon as they began, it ended. Better to get what may be their last kiss in sooner than be dead before it can happen again.

"Me too.", Boss replied, seeming to focus on nothing else in the world but her. The intimate moment was then soon interrupted by their favorite pilot not long after that.

"What's taking you two so long? Miller's gonna have a fit if you're not out by now!", Pequod's voice boomed in Boss earpiece, making him flinch.

"Jesus! Christ, I'm coming Pequod!", Boss spat out in annoyance and rolled his eyes as he pushed his earpiece. Quiet just simply tilted one side of her lip up in amusement and made a chuff as she cloaked and disappeared to the chopper, the door opening as she exited.

Snake followed immediately, walking out of the door and into the sunlight. His eyes cringed at the sudden flare of sunlight that temporarily blinded him. Using his hand as shade, he jogged over to the chopper, climbing up and sitting on the edge, attaching his suit to a strap that kept him secure.

"Departing!", Pequod signaled as the chopper lifted up and tilted forward, going higher in altitude. Quiet then suddenly appeared and grabbed on to the handle of the chopper. Venom turned his eyes to her and flashed her a smile, before swapping his gaze back with the distancing Mother Base. He then unhooked and climbed into the chopper, taking a seat in the far back, whilst Quiet moved right after him into the seat in front of him. The door slid as he pulled it close, letting out a moan as he sat back and relaxed.

He closed his eyes for a moment to take in the familiar scenery he had grown accustomed to. The hazy smell, the clickings of buttons pushed by Pequod, the faint rotor whirring in the background. He felt himself slump in the seat, his eyes opening slightly, spotting the pictures he had pinned on the side. There were some of his soldiers, some of Ocelot teaching the men, and of course the little "pin up" of Quiet.

That was the oddest little gift he ever received from his photographer. But it still made him smile. His eyelids shut once more, this time feeling a little drowsy. It was then that he heard a small thump and some pressure on the seat next to him. It was way heavier than the gun case and iDroid he usually had.

It was then that a head rested on his shoulder, the soft hair rubbing against his jaw, and a sleek, tender arm wrapped around his. He took a peek next to him, seeing it was (who else?) Quiet. She let out a long breath of comfort as she readjusted her position to make it more comfortable.

There was a bit of shifting before Quiet gave up and decided to rest her head on Venom's lap, finding it the most enjoyable. He could only smirk as sleep whisked him away.

"How cute…", Pequod mumbled and chuckled at the scene. "Oh, Muskrat's gonna love this.", he chuckled as he took out the camera and snapped a photo, his finger covering the flash.

Pequod then quickly got back to the controls as he resteadied the helicopter.

"Having fun over there, Pequod?", Boss muttered half asleep.

Pequod simply snorted as he refocused on flying the helicopter.

[- - -]

 **0800 hours**

 **An island of the coast of Angola-Zaire…**

Pequod turned to see the two were _still_ sleeping. _Geez, how tired are they?,_ Pequod muddled inside his head. Shrugging, he pulled out something from his side. It was rare that he got to use it, but when he did, boy was it fun!

He took the object in one of his hands, the other focused on steering the chopper. It was an airhorn with a large red top. He pushed the button on top and a noise came out of it.

 _BRRRRRRRRRTTTT_

What was once a peaceful, snuggling couple was turned into a clumsy mess, complete with banging heads and complete alertness. "What the hell?!", Boss blurted out as he readjusted his hair.

Pequod simply snickered as he called to them. "Hey, hey, hey, morning lovebirds~!", the man teased. "We're coming up to the island where Eli is. Better get ready!"

The two then scrambled for their items as Boss dusted off his camouflaged BDU, reaching his hands up to grab his suppressed rifle that was hung up. He then grabbed the two respirators under his seat, slipping his on with one hand while the other was used to toss Quiet's.

"Take it. Last thing we need is for you to get infected too.", his voice became muffled and echoey underneath the gas mask paired with the sounds of his mask shuffling as he twisted on the filters.

Quiet simply nodded as she repeated the process, following the same steps he did to put his on. At this time, Venom stared dead-on at her as he spoke once more. "Be safe."

She could feel her lips pull into a smile underneath the mask. "Don't worry, I'll keep my distance.", she then took her silenced tranquilizer rifle and slung it over her shoulder.

Snake then opened the helicopter door and strapped himself as he listened to the briefing tape made by Ocelot.

"Your objective is to find Eli and get him back, along with Sahelanthropus. XOF has been deploying troops here for a bit with no luck. That's one of the reasons of how we even found this island in the first place. Apparently, somehow Eli caught a strain of the English parasite and spread it to the soldiers. You'll see the bodies pile up. Be careful of both the child soldiers and Cipher, Boss. And remember, don't kill the kids. It'd be for the best if you can Fulton them out of the island. Good luck Boss."

As he sat there intently hearing the tape, he watched the view of the salt waters and eroded rocks before him, shining from the daylight sun and passing by the scene. Turning his head towards the direction of the heli's path, he saw the island shore coming up.

The chopper then lifted up to accommodate for the increasingly higher inland, the air vehicle then slowing as it reached a open clearing within the swamp that was far enough from the shore, but not too much so they won't get spotted. Pequod then slowly lowered the helicopter to a safe height.

At this point, it was all instinct to him. He snapped the harness off and dropped down below, landing with a thud and legs bent, moving up in a crouched position. Quiet disappeared, then landed and reappeared adjacent of Snake, aiming her rifle towards the path ahead.

Pequod then lifted up as he sent his final words over comms. "Be careful down there, Boss. And good luck!"

And for once, Boss replied, pushing his ear piece. "Thanks, but I don't think I'll need luck."

Pequod simply laughed as the chopper went further and further from the island. Venom turned to Quiet and motioned his head towards the path infront of them. "Let's go. Keep an eye out for hostiles."

She answered with a hum, cloaking before shooting off into the distance and taking point on a large tree. Venom then stood up fully, grabbing his Wu Pistol and unholstering it, keeping it in a ready position as he began to walk through the swamp woods, carefully scanning each corner.

[- -]

As Venom and Quiet stepped through a very shallow, rushing river, the man decided it was time to discuss. "There was barely anyone in that forest. Save for those like…what…four kids?", he piped up to Quiet.

"More like six.", she retorted. "You'd think the place would be crawling with XOF."

"Well…it kinda was. They just weren't very alive.", he grimaced, remembering the bodies. It was worse than what happened to his own men with the parasite infection. Their white hazmats covered in blood, lungs popping through, throats mangled and slit open. It wasn't the most prettiest thing compared to the scenery. Some of them even had bullet holes from the kids that shot them.

Some of the kids got infected, but thank God the infected-to-healthy ratio was very small. Otherwise he'd be bringing diseased kids to Mother Base. With the med staff overworked, there'd be no way they could handle them all.

He simply shook his head. "What a shame. Back to XOF, you think most of the unaffected troops are ahead of us?"

"Yea, most likely.", Quiet bit her lower inner lip as she shouldered her rifle again. "Thought I saw one of them jogging ahead with some buddies."

Boss sighed heavily. "Great, then we better double time it be-", Boss suddenly stopped, holding a hand up as a signal. "You hear that?", he whispered.

Seconds passed and there was nothing more than the calming sound of the waters. Then came a rustle, and a choked groan. Then more rustling, and lowered voices. Voices that were…higher…younger.

Quiet looked up at the cliff next to them, then to the plant-filled bank side next to them. Whipping around back to the cliff, she cloaked and jumped up, reappearing on a tight wedge. She then held her rifle with one hand, the other grabbing on to a rock to steady herself.

Staring down the scope, she immediately went to the source of the noise, her mouth almost gaping as a gasp nearly sounded out. Boss stayed down in a prone position as he sneered to the bushes. He then heard Quiet over comms.

"Boss…it's…it's…it's all kids. One of them is hurt. Critically. He's dragging himself across the floor, trying not to-…oh god.", her sweet voice was cracking at the site. Boss didn't know just how horrifying what kind of event she was witnessing.

Here, the legend did something unthinkable. He acted on instinct, walking completely upright through the bushes right in the enemy's line of sight. "Boss? Boss?!", in her mind, she was wondering just what the hell he was doing.

Trudging through the plants, he noticed the kids whining in their language for him to get up, telling him to be strong. How heartbreaking it was. Boss stepped closer, and closer, and closer, eventually popping out of the greenery in full, revealing himself to them. One of them, seeing him jumped up in shock, and aimed the AK-47 right at him.

"(Contact!)", he called out as the rest took aim with their own guns. They stood there, ready to fire, just about to pull the trigger until…he put his hands up. Taking the pistol in his hands, he placed it gently on the ground, along with his rifle.

"Eh?(What's he doing?)", one of them whispered.

"(I don't know!)"

Venom walked slowly over, with his hands still up, and the guns still pointed right at his head. As he got closer to one of the kids surrounding their struggling comrade, he heard the click of the safety coming off. At that point, Snake froze.

He made head movements towards the dying child to give a signal to the kids. The child on the ground rolled onto his back and started having coughing fits and loud wheezes in between breaths.

As if one of them knew his intention, he walked over and with his hand pushed down the rifle of the kid closest to Snake. Then, using his arm as a barricade, he backed up, forcing the other to move with him. The two remaining kids got the hint as well and stopped their hostile attitudes. Moving his hands down, Snake then walked over to the kid, pulling a fulton pack from behind.

He then attached it to the kid, and with a knife, cut the restraining mechanism. In a flare of light, the kid was slowly sucked up into a wormhole, where he would be brought to Mother Base for care. The kids stared in awe at the wormhole and then at the man. Some of them dropped their weapons and saluted the man.

All Boss did was nod. Through his earpiece, he patched through comms to his Intel Team. "Hey, I need to know some phrases in Afrikaans." He stood there for a while, muttering under his breath before taking his finger off the transmit button.

"(Your friend has been put into good care. We'll be sure to save his life. He's been shot in the chest a couple of times. And he, much like you all, has a parasite which will activate when you grow up. Because of this parasite, we're going to nuke this island and cure those who are extracted. You should join your friend so you can live to see him again.)", he told them, with occasional pauses to listen to the Intel team.

Much like him, a simple nod confirmed their willingness. One by one, Boss extracted them through his wormhole fulton. After the final child went up into light and disappeared, the man faced down at the AKs on the ground and the blood from the wounded one.

Turning on the balls of his feet, he trodded over and grabbed his rifle and pistol, heading back out into the river to see Quiet just reforming before his eyes. She smiled brightly at the guy before her. "You are amazing, Boss. That…is why I love you."

He grinned back. "Thanks. As much as it pleases me to save a life like that, it did cut into our time. We should hurry and catch up with XOF."

"Right.", she called out to him and started dashing past him as he sprinted like a mad man.

[- - -]

 **[A/N: I'm gonna cut out the Eli fight and its ending so this chapter doesn't get** ** _too_** **long like chapter 5. You can watch the video of what happens with that battle on Youtube (look up "mgs5 missing chapter"). Just imagine Quiet's in the background, sniping from a chopper.]**

As he closed the door, Boss watched from the rising chopper at the island's view. He cringed at the sight of all this. Nearly two hundred of his men gone, almost the same for Cipher. He was just glad he went after those kids first and got them out of the area. His view turned to the other helicopters that were carrying the remnants of Sahelanthropus.

Was this the price he had to pay for Outer Heaven? Was this what he had to suffer for in order to recreate Big Boss's dream? Just how much can he take of this before he reaches his breaking point?

That he didn't know. His head rotated around to see some Dogs seated before him, one of their heads down in shame and sadness. He looked to the other soldier sitting next to him, the other blinking slowly to acknowledge what he meant.

A huff was let out from the downtrodden male as his grip around the dog tags tightened. "You won't be forgotten. You're all diamonds now.", he muttered, quoting the man of the hour.

A head pressed down onto Snake's shoulder, and a hand grabbed at his with a squeeze. "I'm sorry.", the silent assassin breathed.

"Don't be.", the man kept his head in the direction of the pilot seat. "Just be glad it was over."

Silence then settled on the ACC. No one dared to peep up, not even chatty Pequod, nor Jackal, who happened to be in the chopper. He lost some of his special friends too, evident by the tears welling in his eyes. At least he was glad some lived, even Mastiff. Even if the latter wasn't in the battle, he was just happy to have someone.

Jackal held the dog tags of Puma, Wallaby, and Scorpion in his hand, and as he did he couldn't bear to think what Mastiff would say to Scorpion's loss. Despite the teasing between the two, they had a bond. Octopus was hit pretty hard, and Jackal found himself praying for her safety, despite not being a religious man.

For all of them, hard times have come. Especially for Venom Snake, who not only had to deal with deaths of hundreds of Diamond Dogs he raised to be one of his own, but also a realization that he'd have to break the truth to Quiet. Much like she had for him.

With closed eyes and a deep breath, Venom mumbled in Quiet's ear. "Quiet-er…Stefanie…I- got something to tell you."

Her eyes switched up to him in expectation. "What?"

"You had to tell the truth about how you felt and why you were silent, right? After that day."

She then rotated her head so that her chin was resting now on the man's broad and tense shoulders. "Yea?"

He frowned, clicking his lips. In his mind he racked for a way to come out with this, but he found no easy way. How could he soften such truth? She couldn't in that tape, and he shouldn't now. So with an inhale and a sharp pause, he spoke once more. "I'm…not the real Big Boss."

Quiet blinked in reply with a blank expression. Did she hear this right? "E-excuse me?"

"I'm not really Big Boss. It's all a front. A smokescreen.", he stated plainly.

"B-but, how? You're here right now! How-", Big Boss put a finger on her lips to silence her. For one thing, she was getting louder and attracting attention of the others. The other? He didn't give his reasons yet.

"Let me explain. And remain quiet.", the pun was not intended, for the subject matter was pretty serious judging from his face. An ice stare into the soldiers and they immediately went back to their merry ways. Sliding the finger down and off her mouth, he continued.

"I am not actually Big Boss. I'm just his phantom. A fake created from plastic surgery to distract the world while the real Big Boss built his vision of a nation that replicates the motto of Militaires San Frontieres and Diamond Dogs. A _nation_ without borders, without ideology, without abuse from governments. A place for soldiers to be free and have a place in society. A sort of… _Outer Heaven_.", he whispered keenly to her.

This whole jab kept Quiet's attention. A military nation of this caliber with these values? Impossible! Hell, could even civilians live here at all? Just what the hell was this "real" Boss up to?!

"This army, Diamond Dogs. It's just a buildup. A beginning of our military force for the nation. Soon…we will all no longer be dogs nor diamonds. But be archangels for a heaven on the outskirts of this world. Outer Heaven."

Her mouth was slightly agap. "Wait…then, who are you?!"

"Me?", Big Boss scoffed through his nose. "I was the best soldier in MSF. Almost like the Boss himself. I was on the chopper that crashed and sent us into a coma. Leaving us in a hospital in Cyprus for nine long years."

Her face distorted from the shock of his words. This was a mindblow to her. So the man wasn't even Boss? Then who was? Wait…

"So wait then…that bandaged man who lit me on fire?! He was the real Big Boss?!", she hoarsed. She couldn't believe it. That guy was _him._ The real legend.

"Yea. I'm just a combat medic.", he sighed as he pulled out his phantom cigar and lit it with his iDroid. "These cigs are fake too. They have blends of herbs to make it less lethal than a real cigar.", he smacked his tongue at the hinge of mint on his buds.

She felt her mind unravel and process all this information handed to her. This man was a fake all along. This made her upset. No, angry. She grabbed his arm with a grip so tight, he felt his circulation being slowly cut off.

Her gray eyes stared him down with a fierce intensity, much more than his sky blue could ever do. Out of his peripheral, he could see the soldiers scoot towards the pilot seat a little with eyes widened. Whatever was going on, they didn't want to be a part of it.

"If everything about you isn't real…then answer me. Was everything between us just a lie?!", the last part was yelled out. Venom could hear Pequod whistle nervously as he was pushing buttons on the chopper at a frantic pace. The soldiers either faced away or had their vision wander around elsewhere, along with another scoot away.

Boss took a hit of the cigar, blowing vapor lightly towards the direction of the soldiers. "Answer me _James._ If that is even your real name!", she seethed at him.

Releasing his two fingers, Boss flicked down the cigar, and smooshed it with his foot, putting out the light. His head slowly whirled around to face Quiet with a blank yet vaguely sorry look in his eyes. Before she knew it, Venom took her arm and pushed it up using CQC, before moving in, deflecting the other arm and pulling her to a tight embrace.

He took off his glove placed his natural hand delicately on her head, softly smoothing over her hair with his hand. Using the same hand, he removed the hair band and began running his fingers through her hair, before moving down to stroke her back.

"I myself may be fake. But my feelings are not. Don't ever think that.", he muttered to her as he dug his nose into her hair.

Soon enough, she found her rage wither away and replace itself with bitter, silent tears. She could feel the eyes of the soldiers watching the drama unfold before them, quickly turning around as Boss spotted them out of his peripheral. His vision refocused on the emotional sniper in his arms, he shushed her while stroking her back.

This moment reeled back in his mind to the days where he drank heavily after her absence, and after his discovery that he wasn't the real Boss. All the hypnotherapy, all the effort that it took to convince him and everyone else…it was shocking.

Wiping away the tears in her eyes with his thumb, he separated from her, but keeping close with his hands on his shoulders. Her eyes were glued to the seat below her as Boss shook her lightly. "Look, I'm sorry. But it's the truth."

Nothing came from Quiet. Not even a peep, nor did she ever change her facial position and expression.

"Y'know…when you left and told me about you. About what you were meant to do, what you wanted to do…I was just like you are now. Only worse."

Ah! Something of a response from her. Her head turned up to his person and stared with a look that mixed concern and curiosity. Was he really?

"I was in a rut. Complete with heavy drinking and depression. I kept chugging this horrible cinnamon liquor that burned like Volgin's rage.", he made a reference to the Man On Fire, making a distant face behind him as he talked about this part of the past that wasn't too far.

"But then I came back for you. And I changed once more. Back to my old self, complete with this new light.", Quiet sat there stunned at not only just how low the man was while she ran, but also at how much he is opening up and speaking. Especially in front of his own soldiers.

"I came to forgive you back at the ruins. Because I knew deep down I couldn't hate you. I only hope you will do the same for me."

The two had a deep staring contest with each other as the woman tried to scan him like a lie detector. Finding nothing at fault, she formed a tiny smile. "I will. I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth like they do.", she made a thumb gesture at the soldiers in the front.

Then came a small applause from one of the soldiers that ended as quickly as it started.

 _Glad the soap opera's finished._ , Pequod toiled in his head, making a grin as he continued to work at the controls.

[- - -]

 **Command Platform 1, Mother Base, Seychelles Waters**

 **1600 hours**

Boss watched from atop the Command Platform tower he landed at with Quiet, watching the soldiers disperse downstairs as he stood over the balcony. He spotted a chopper unloading even more soldiers down below on the first floor, near the front of the platform.

Jeeps were driven near the spot, with the drivers calling out for each separate division and waiting as they filled up before moving out slowly, driving away to the designated platform. Quiet leaned next to him, Venom instinctively wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

They continued observing the scene before them as a trio of choppers buzzed overhead in the direction of the medical platform. Boss simply bit his tongue at the sight. Those choppers were enough to carry about 10 soldiers. Maybe even more if you squish 'em in there like overstuffed luggage. There must've been nearly 30-50 wounded because of that battle.

"They fought well.", Quiet commented out of the blue, sensing his trouble.

"Yea. They did.", he agreed, turning to view the setting sun as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a phantom cigar. Quiet grabbed his iDroid and lit it up for him as he inhaled the minty smoke and puffed it out.

"I'll hold a funeral for them all. Just like…that time.", he referred to the second quarantine accident cause by Huey.

"They deserve that respect. All of your men were valiant and brave. They are, like you say, Diamonds.", she tapped the diamond underneath the logo of the army he had.

"Yea. I might make some more. Especially for that squad that helped me find you. That leader lost some valuable friends. I think he might get some replacements but…the pain will still be there. Nothing could replace his comrades.", he batted his eyes towards the cigar and back to the sky.

"Mmm.", was all she had to give.

"Sometimes I wonder if this is worth it for Boss's dream.", Venom thought aloud as he let his arm slide down and give him some support over the railing. "Losing all these soldiers…being something I'm not. These people call me 'Boss' no matter what. And I…"

"Just don't think about it. It must be if the man has put you through this much.", she offered to him, looking to the man softly as she always did while in the chopper- before all this happened.

"Yea. You're right.", Boss threw down the cigar and stomped on it to put it out. "Hey…I got an idea."

"Hmm?"

"Since people wanna call me Boss still, when Outer Heaven is ready in so and so years, they'll all know soon enough my true identity.", he stared at the cigarette, the inspiration for the random thought, before resetting his view on her. "So I made a nickname."

"And?", she tilted her head in interest of this man's sudden light bulb moment.

"I'll be…", he made a dramatic pause for effect. "Phantom Boss. And the real deal will retain his name as Big Boss. Of course, we'll keep it on the down low for the world to not know, but it'd be a good way to discern us, besides the obvious visuals. What do you think?", he crossed in arms in anticipation for her opinion.

"I like it…Phantom Boss.", she made a smug grin, uttering the name with an "oomph" to it.

He returned the motion, contempt in her words.

[- -]

Nightfall fell predator to the ghastly light of the electronic and large flares of the flames in the elevated bonfire seated near on the helipad. Here, hundreds of soldiers saluted, prayed, etc. Some even had cameras broadcasting for the wounded who couldn't appear.

Atop on the second floor of the Command Platform stood the leaders of Diamond Dogs along with the remaining Ocelot Unit members atop them all.

The gray haired cowboy cleared his throat loudly and yelled out to the mass of soldiers, breaking their routines and putting them into a stiff stand, with exception to the camera men, who rotated the objects as soon as Ocelot spoke. "Atten-tion!"

The masses swerved around in a 180, stomping their foot down and saluting.

Kaz stepped forwards towards the railing while the others were behind, the Ocelot Unit farthest back.

"Dogs! We have suffered immense losses today! More than we could have imagined. More than those who were killed by the parasites. More than those who unfortunately had to be killed during the second outbreak as well!"

Quiet appeared in the far back, close to the fire in the outfit she wore for her first day without the vocal parasite.

"We are no longer in the presence of the hundreds of men who gave their lives in our final conflict against an enemy who bothered us for too long. A weapon that lasted longer than it should have caused our world to be torn asunder! The Metal Gear, Sahelanthropus! And the organization that ended MSF as we knew it, Cipher and the rogue XOF, lead by an evil man named Skull Face!"

Everyone's faces tried to keep straight as the name of what was originally FOX was heard. Quiet's didn't, changing to one of utter disgust and hatred. They screwed her and Phantom Boss over the most, and even Big Boss as well.

"In our attempt to rescue children whose lives should not have been on the battlefield, and to capture their insurgent leader, we saw deaths of many of our own men. Some from the revived English parasite, and some from the weapons of war!"

Kazuhira always had a way with words when came to speeches, making anyone listen to him and fire them up while he's at it. But this time, his own words seemed to affect himself, making his words hotter with the fires of desire and revenge.

"In the end, we won! But…it was not without sacrifice. These men who courageously fought til the better end to see our future prosper, to take back the Metal Gear and end our sorrows once and for all did not once battle in vain! They were all dogs. Dogs of war. Diamonds who will shine forever in our hearts and minds and give us the strength to carry on! They are with us all, watching us from whatever afterlife there is. We shouldn't leave their legacy to the dust, to be swallowed up by the raging, heartless, ever-moving waters!"

"From this moment on, we will continue for their sake! These diamonds- no, these Diamond Dogs will be remembered for years to come! For they will be the ones who will push forward a new path for us! Am I wrong?"

Silence.

"Or am I right?"

Dog-like whoops and "who's" rang out from the crowd, along with whistles and victory chants, the latter being Quiet's choice.

"Settle down!", Ocelot called after it went on for too long, giving a glance at Kaz in a way of thanks for rising their spirits. The crowd gradually silenced afterwards. With everything quiet now, save for a few coughs, Kaz continued so he could finish the ceremony.

"Like I said before. These men are diamonds who will shine. From the ashes, we have made diamonds for some very special soldiers, who not only lead our Boss to be the man he once was again, but also lead these valiant soldiers to our victory, losing some of their own close ones in the process. Today, we will honor the Ocelot Unit."

Phantom Boss opened a case containing new patches with the diamond on the logo, just like the one he owns. There were three for the surviving members, all of which who stood tall and proud as they moved from their positions in the back up to the front, moving inbetween the parting leaders Kaz and Ocelot.

"Jackal.", Ocelot called the name of the squad leader as he took a step forward. Boss carefully removed the patch and handed it to Jackal, shaking his other hand and nodding at him confidently.

"Silver Mastiff." The process repeated.

"And finally, Ashen Octopus." Once more, the process recycled.

Then, with all their patches proudly in their hands, they simultaneously stomped and saluted.

"Before this memorial ends…is there anyone that wishes to speak?", Ocelot asked with both hands behind his back in an orderly manner.

Jackal shook his head. There was nothing he felt he could say nor did he feel like saying anything. Grief seemed to overcome him. Octopus shook her head too. She would feel weak if she got all emotional in front of her own comrades.

But there was one who hesitated a little in his mind. He knew what he wanted to say but he didn't know how to say it. _Screw it._ , he thought.

"I do.", Mastiff voiced himself to the crowd. Jackal silently groaned while Octopus just eyed him. Jackal inwardly crossed his fingers hoping he wouldn't say something stupid without Scorpion around to boss him anymore.

Mastiff relaxed and cleared his throat, making "uh's" and "um's" before he took a deep breath and began speaking.

"When I first joined this place…I was amazed. An army like no other. No nation, no borders, no bullshit. I thought it was like a fairy tale. I always dreamed of being a soldier, but I never had confidence to do it. I thought I would buckle under the pressure and fuck up badly. But I didn't. I persevered and made it! Hell, I got promoted to the very best of the Special Operations units. I never thought in a million years it would happen."

"Sure. I'm a fool. Most likely a situational idiot. And that's probably all I'd ever be if I was anywhere else but here. Which is why I like this place, and why I'm willing to fight for honor, and for the Boss.", whoops were made in reply.

"And…and…I made some…great friends here.", Mastiff's voice broke up as he could feel tears soak into his skin. "One of them…Dark Scorpion…I lost. Yea, I thought he was a jerk sometimes for treating me like I'm in daycare, but he cared for me. We were best friends. And I…I…lost him. I will n-never forget him. Ever. Nor will I forget Puma, or Wallaby. In my eyes…I'll…I'll keep going. For them. Not for revenge, but for them. Cause I know they would scold me for revenge quests. I'll miss them. That…that's all!"

He wiped off his tears as his comrades came to comfort him, congratulating him on his speech. In a harmonious applause, the ceremony ended.

"That is all! Dismissed!", Phantom Boss called out over the crowd.

[- -]

Waves crashed in a soothing sound of ambience as two figures sat on the edge of the helipad. Combining with the dwindling crackles of the now much smaller flame, it was a relaxing scene.

"So I guess this is the beginning of a new era, huh?", Quiet spoke, cuddled next to Phantom Boss as they glared out over the scenery of the dark ocean shining from the full moon's light.

"Yea. Might be worse than the last episode…", Boss doubted as he gave a quick peck on her cheek.

"Well…I'm willing to go through it all with you.", she smiled delightfully.

"Me too. Me too."


	10. Chapter X

**A/N: Told ya I had a surprise. And with that, this story ends. Thanks for all your reviews and support!**

 **~CJ**

* * *

 **Chapter X: The New Era**

 ** _Years later…_**

 **Unknown Location**

 **Unknown Time**

A group of soldiers sat in a large, but not too big, helicopter. They were doing various things such as chatting among themselves, watching out the window at the passing sandy scenery and others were checking their weapons, cleaning them as well.

As one finished inspecting his M4, placing the variable scope back on the rail and twisting the connectors that locked it place, he placed the rifle down next to him before pulling out a suitcase and opening it. Inside was a VCR tape that had the label "Briefing: 12th" on it.

As he walked past the soldiers, all in their multicam, desert colored BDUs, body armor, harnesses, etc., he walked up to a medium sized huge box in the front of the chopper. It was a television screen with a VCR included in its architecture. As he reached up to put the tape in the slot, the patch on his arm and on his beret were exposed to the light.

On it was a skull facing forwards, with two wings that popped out of an encasing circle, with text on both the top and bottom that followed the direction of the circle. "OUTER HEAVEN".

As the VCR tape slid into the socket, he pushed the pause button on TV before the tape could even play. It showed the face of a man who sat in front of a large circular light source, standing up, in a black suit that looked similar to a suit used of the army of old.

Rotating around to face the bunch of misfits, he cleared his throat loudly. "Hey!", he called out to them. The masses then turned around to face the man. The man's eyes were familiar.

"What is it this time, Jackal old pal? Need help wiping again?", one of them joked and laughed.

"Shut it, Mastiff. I'm not that old. Or maybe I should call you by your real name since DD is no more.", he made himself turn into the smuggest human being.

Mastiff immediately froze up. "Please don't.", he begged.

"Right. That's what I thought.", he made the cheekiest grin behind his mask. "Now, shut up and watch. We got a briefing tape from the man himself.", he turned and pressed play, quickly jogging back to his seat in the back as he watched.

The man before them had scars all over his face and two shrapnel pieces sticking out of his head, and white hair. One arm was of a bright red color, clearly a fake robotic hand. He had a smile on his face.

"Hello all. You know me as Phantom Boss."

For them, it was hard to believe that this guy was a fake when he came out about it. Now it was just accepted. Even if the guy was like a whole decade younger than Big Boss, he had to keep the appearance to fool the world.

"Today is a monumental day in our history. Years ago, you were all once Dogs in a military force that shared the very same values we do today, albeit a bit different. And when you died, you were all considered diamonds. Diamond Dogs. But…those days are long gone."

"No longer are you dogs anymore, but archangels in a heaven of the outer rim of the world, accessible only to those who dare to dream. Our Outer Heaven. That was a time to remember dearly, when you all graduated from mutts to angels of war."

Some of the soldiers were new recruits who had no idea, but there were some who do. Especially the duo of Jackal and Mastiff. Those days were the fondest of memories. Too bad there's not an Ocelot unit anymore. Then again, Ocelot did leave after Outer Heaven was founded. So did Miller. To be honest, they missed the two men. Even if one was untrustworthy and the other was easily susceptible to anger and focused too much on his old wounds to be living for today. Those were the good old days. But now the Ocelot Unit played higher roles in their new Heaven. Some, like Jackal, were combat officers, while others like Mastiff were made squad leaders, as evident by their silver and red berets.

"But for too long, we lived in the shadows, ignoring the very thing that fueled us during those days. Soldiers were no longer soldiers during that time, but were idle reserves who never felt the excitement of action for a long while. No more. Today…"

They all smiled in excitement. "Today…we fight. As our own nation. Not a force for hire. Not a bunch of rag-tag mercenaries whose army barely rose above 1,000 in numbers. Today, we are now thousands of men and women who will fight for the first time in years. Today, we finally reveal ourselves in the spotlight once more after being in the dark. Today…we show our strength!"

"Hoo-rah!", everyone within the chopper chanted simultaneously.

"So now I am here to set the stage. To brief you on what happens. Are you ready?"

"Hoo-rah!", they repeated once more, as if this was a live conversation seen in the movies.

"That's right! Now…here's what's going on. A man by the name of Saddam Hussein has not been right in his head recently. He has tested chemical-based weapons of mass destruction on his own people, and ruled Iran with an iron-fist. Now his regime has hostilely taken over all of Kuwait. Everyone in the UN isn't happy, and is now fed up with Hussein. We must bring evil men like him to his knees, just like we did to Skull Face and Cipher."

"Hoo-rah!"

Phantom Boss then folded his arms down, intertwining his own hands. "Of course, we might be going a bit uninvited. The UN doesn't really consider us a nation, nor does any part of the world. Yet, I feel as though our men need this. That _we_ need this. So, we are coming unannounced, whether the UN likes it or not. We are not their enemy. The only enemy we have as of now…is Iran. And to that enemy, and to the coalition the UN made…we show them…Outer Heaven."

"Hoo-rah!"

"Now then, are you ready?"

"Hoo-rah!"

A blip sounded, changing to an image of the Outer Heaven logo as a female, Dutch voice then spoke up. "The following is exclusive directions for you, the 12th Division."

A blip sounded as it transitioned to Phantom Boss. "Jackal…you were always one of my favorite men. Along with you and Mastiff. If it weren't for you guys and the rest of the squad…the love of my life would've been left for dead. Say hi, Stefanie!"

"Hi!", a cute voice sounded behind the camera. The ex-Diamond Dogs soldiers bumped elbows mentioning Quiet and how Boss was lucky to get himself a hottie like her.

"But now, because of that, you have the honor of wielding our new armor, based off Huey's hover tanks. I'm sure if the rest were here, especially Puma, he would love it. Rest in peace, dear friend.", a small moment of silence for the man.

"Anyways, so you'll get the upgraded hover tank, and an armored patrol vehicle. Jackal, you will take two men out of the 16 there with you and pilot the hover tank. Mastiff, you will select three men to pilot the armored patrol vehicle."

The two nodded.

"Mastiff, you'll be leading the infantry charge. You're a smart kid, not a fool. Remember that."

Mastiff snorted and chuckled. Guess that little feat during the Quiet hunt earned respect from the man. After all, he did give an important lead.

"Keep constant radio comms with Jackal, Mastiff. In addition to piloting the tank, he's going to be doing the recon duty he usually does. He will point out some enemies and maybe even help you if there's no other armor around. Got it?"

"Yes sir!", the soldiers all repeated.

"Now, this information will be passed to everyone, not exclusively you. But I will be scouting ahead and taking out anti air equipment with Quiet. After all, we got some new pilots, planes and fancy new choppers you guys are riding in. I won't have them be destroyed. Plus, it will be support for the coalition forces. Got it?"

"Yes sir!"

"Alright, Phantom Boss out!"

The tape then ended and the VCR began rewinding itself, a whirring sound being made as static displayed on the TV.

"You guys got that? Anything need to be repeated?", Jackal called out.

"No sir!", they all replied.

"Good.", he got up to fetch the tape after it was through rewinding.

The pilot turned back to the soldiers. "Hey, we're getting close to the LZ! ETA 5 minutes! Get yourselves ready to drop!"

[- -]

Echoes of bullets and tank shots rang out as the squad deployed. "Move it, move it, move it! Go go go!", Mastiff yelled out as the infantry ran to cover and ducked behind it.

"Get to your vehicles! Move it, shrimps!", Jackal yelled as he climbed up and dropped into the tank along with the others. The systems then began turning on, the modules on the tank turning before it began to float.

One of the soldiers constantly monitored a radar and comms system, while the other was running frequent checks on the weapons and readying to reload them. The armored patrol vehicle next to them began driving immediately after taking fire from another, firing at its opponent while Jackal fired the electromagnetic cannon at the tank after its charge was at maximum.

"Direct hit sir!", one of them called out. An explosion sounded. "And he's gone!"

"Damn this thing's got bite. Mastiff! There's people in those wrecked towers!", Jackal muttered and called out as he kept moving to another position.

"Roger!", Mastiff complied while he ordered the infantry to fire at hostiles in the buildings Jackal pointed out.

[- -]

Venom was ducked behind an eroded ancient fence-like barrier as he heard the sounds of a tank rolling and stopping. _So close to that final AA gun…_ , he complained inwardly. Quiet was further away, prone on a rock and aiming towards Phantom Boss and the tank, making her usual humming of her song.

"Hey Quiet.", he whispered through comms. "Ever tried to fire two grenades at once?"

A crackle. "No…why?"

"Well, you're going to have to. One will incapacitate the tank, the other will get the AA gun destroyed. Then after that, kill any nearby infantry with that rifle of yours. Spare a few for me to tranq though. Sound good?", he whispered, pulling out two hand grenades and waiting for a response.

"Let's give it a shot."

"Alright! On my mark…", he pulled the pins on both grenades and threw them up in the air. "Now!"

Quiet's reflexes heightened for a second, firing her suppressed rifle, making the bullet hit the middle of the two grenades as they collided in air. The two then flied, one hitting the tank, and another hitting the AA gun, incapacitating both.

"Nice one!", he called out as he quickly ran over to wormhole extract the two whilst Quiet covered him as asked. He pulled out his tranquilizer gun, knocking out the soldiers that had excellent stats according to his intel scope and fultoning them.

He then holstered the pistol while jogging sideways, dodging enemy fire while pulling out his M4 and returning the attacks, killing them with head and body shots.

"(Big Bos-)", one of them called before being shot in the head. The area now clear, he moved to fulton the AA gun, dusting off his hands and smiling back at Quiet, who grinned from ear to ear and gave him a thumbs up.

He pushed the radio mic. "Say, how about we go join our boys and girls out in the front since we're done here?"

"Sounds like fun.", she replied as Phantom Boss stole a light vehicle from them, hijacking it and turning it on. "Race you there.", she challenged.

"Bring it!", he laughed as he stepped on the gas pedal and sped up towards the loud sounds of gunfire, tanks, and electromagnetic railguns, the sound of the engines whirring next to Quiet's constant booming of her dash move.


End file.
